74 SLENDEB-IJILLED GULL. 



brackish water, in which again are small islets partially covered with 

 reeds, and often joined to others by long narrow sand bars. A 

 lengthened and even tiresome examination of one of these localities 

 was at last rewarded by the discovery of a colony of Slender-bills. 

 The nests, neatly made of seaweed, but containing no wool or lining 

 whatever, covered a space thirty feet long by fifteen feet broad on 

 the bare open sand, distant on one side by about eight to ten feet 

 from a large colony of Caspian Terns, and on the other all but 

 intermingling with one of Sterna minuta, only one nest of this latter 

 being found in the midst of the Slender-bills. All contained eggs,, 

 and, though there could be no doubt that we had discovered one 

 great object of our search, we left them untouched, drew, up our 

 boat on shore, selected a suitable spot for camping on during the 

 night, under the shelter of some reeds at a distance from the nests, 

 and then, choosing the most characteristically marked eggs, we set 

 our traps, and some birds having been caught, we had the pleasure 

 in the morning of securing some really authentic eggs of this rare 

 bird. No nest contained more than three eggs. At first they were 

 not at all shy. On being disturbed they uttered a cry very much 

 resembling the call of the rook, but more prolonged, softer, and less 

 harsh. On rising against the sun, as they kept together in a compact 

 body and did not at all mix with any of the other species, the rosy 

 tint of their breasts presented a most beautiful sight, glowing like a 

 summer cloud coloured by the setting sun. On the female returning 

 to her nest, the male invariably accompanied her, and remained 

 standing by it. Their food consists entirely of a species of beetle 

 [Dytiscus), and of these their stomachs were quite full. The day 

 after the capture of a second lot, the spot was entirely deserted by 

 the rest. When fresh and lying in the nest, the eggs had the same 

 delicate tint which is so noticeable in the breast of the living bird. 

 This in the latter fades in an hour after death, and loses half its 

 brilliancy, and in the former disappears after being blown. 



Dimensions of the Eggs op Slendee-bills. 



Length. Bread tli. 



2 4-16 inch 1 8-16 inch 



2 4-16 inch 1 9-16 inch 



2 4-16 inch 1 9-16 inch 



2 5-16 inch 1 8-16 inch 



2 3-16 inch 1 9-16 inch 



2 5-16 inch 1 7-16 inch 



2 3-16 inch 1 8-16 inch 



2 2-16 inch 1 10-16 inch 



2 5-16 inch 1 7-16 inch 



2 7-16 inch 1 7-16 inch 



-Wm. Hy. Clllen (Kustendji, July 1870). 



1 



Length. 

 15-16 inch ...... 





Breadth. 

 5-16 inch 



'>, 



2-16 inch 





9-16 inch 



9, 



5-16 inch 





9-16 inch 



^ 



14-16 inch 





5-16 inch 



9, 



5-16 inch 





P-16 inch 



^ 



15-16 inch 





7-16 inch 



9 



1-16 inch 





10-16 inch 



1 



14-16 inch 





8-16 inch 



9 



0-16 inch 





10-16 inch 



2 



2-16 inch 





9-16 inch 



