The Forster Tern 



made very hasty requisi- 

 tion; but I have seen 

 others in which the eggs 

 of the rightful owner 

 were nearly buried under 

 a little turret of dried 

 reeds, upon which the 

 tern had been allowed to 

 lay her full complement. 

 In regions where 

 muskrat houses are com- 

 mon, the terns use them 

 as nesting sites; and 

 where the accommoda- 

 tions are ample, or the 

 colony crowded, share 

 them to the number of 



two or three pairs to a hovering 



turret. Occasionally the birds succeed in improvising floating nests of their 

 own, where the water is quiet and offers support of submerged vegetation. 



Taken in Merced County 



Photo by the Author 



Taken in Merced County 



A NESTING HAUNT OF THE FORSTER TERN 



Photo by the Author 



1445 



