287 



Essington, in Australia, through Gilbert, who informed him that it was numerous on all the 

 sandy points in the harbour, as well as all round the coast and the neighbouring islands, and was 

 believed to breed on the sandy islands. 



In habits this Tern is said to resemble the Sandwich Tern more than any other. The best 

 account I find both of its breeding and general habits is that by Von Heuglin (Orn. N.O.-Afr. 

 pp. 1432, 1433), which I translate as follows: — "This Tern is very gregarious, and so soon as 

 the young are fledged they often collect together in flocks of several hundred individuals. It 

 is found along the coasts of the mainland, as well as on coral reefs and sand islands, and less 

 frequently in narrow bays and harbours. Like all the Terns it is conspicuous by its graceful, 

 light, and continued flight ; and it propels itself even during stormy weather with the greatest ease, 

 and without apparent exertion. In wet weather and when the sea runs high one sees flocks 

 following the larger fishes and cetaceans. Some are to be seen pouncing down on small fishes, 

 while some seem to settle down on the backs of the larger fishes, and others swim about in search 

 of food. They dive both from the wing and from the surface of the water. They are fond of 

 keeping about the surf; and it is a curious sight to see several large flocks crossing each other in 

 the shallows where the young fish are : dozens of them stop suddenly in their flight, hover for a 

 moment or two, and then dart down suddenly into the surf. It is a continuous darting down, 

 rising again, and shaking-off of water, the birds appearing to vie with each other in agility and 

 perseverance. During the hot portion of the day they collect in flocks on the sandy promontories 

 to rest and digest their food ; and some recline in the sand, whilst others stand about, all having 

 their heads to windward. 



" In the southern portions of the Red Sea the breeding-season is from June to August. We 

 visited several breeding-places on the Amarat Island and in the Dahlak archipelago. They 

 prefer low sandy places covered with madrepore-remains not far from the shore, where the 

 vegetation is sparse and consists merely of soda-plants ; and the nests are placed close together. 

 These are only a depression in the ground ; and the eggs, usually two in number, are oval, 20 

 to 24 lines long by 14^ to 16 in diameter, and are white, tinged with clay-yellow, pale greenish, 

 or red, the shell being coarse and dull, without any gloss ; and the markings consist of irregular 

 ashy blue, rusty brown, or dark brown spots and blotches, which are usually more numerous at 

 the larger end. 



" The birds incubate less during the day time than during the cool of the evening and night. 

 They defend their nests with the greatest fearlessness, and strike at any intruder with the greatest 

 fury, uttering loud cries, but evade a blow with ease. When their nests are robbed they follow 

 whoever has taken the eggs for a considerable distance." 



Three eggs in my collection, sent to me from Egypt by the late Mr. Stafford Allen, are in 

 general character much like those of the Sandwich Tern. Two are marked on a warm whitish 

 ground with purplish grey shell-markings and dark brown surface-spots ; and the third is much 

 more boldly blotched with dark reddish brown on a clay yellowish-white ground, the purplish 

 grey shell-spots being rather fewer than in the other two eggs. In size they average about 

 2^ by If* inch. 



The specimen figured is an adult male in full breeding-dress from Alexandria, for which I 

 am indebted to the late Mr. S. Stafford Allen. 



