THE ROSEATE TERN. ]J3 



on that excursion. The other Terns were as new to me. I observed the 

 form of their black bill and feet, the yellow tip of the former, and wrapped 

 them up with care, while I tried to recollect the name they bore in books. 

 To have found hundreds of the Roseate Tern in the Floridas, while I had 

 anxious but slender hopes of meeting it on the coast of Labrador, was to me 

 quite astonishing. So it was, however, and I determined to ransack every 

 key and sand-beach, to try to find its breeding-ground. Nor were my 

 desires ungratified. 



The Roseate Tern spends the breeding season along the southern shores of 

 the Floridas in considerable numbers. At different times in the course of 

 nearly three months which I spent among the keys, I saw flocks of twenty, 

 thirty, or more pairs, breeding on small detached rocky islands, scantily 

 furnished with grass, and in the company of hundreds of Sandwich Terns. 

 The two species appeared to agree well together, and their nests were 

 intermingled. The full number of eggs of the present species is three. 

 They differ considerably in size and markings; their average length, how- 

 ever, is an inch and three quarters, their breadth an inch and one-eighth; 

 they are of a longish oval shape, rather narrowed at the small end, of a dull 

 buff or clay colour, sparingly sprinkled and spotted with different tints of 

 umber and light purple. They were deposited on the bare rocks, among the 

 roots of the grasses, and left in fair weather to the heat of the sun. Like 

 those of the Common Tern and other species, they are delicious eating. The 

 eggs of the Sandwich Tern were more attended to during the day, but 

 toward night both species sat on their eggs. I did not see any of the young, 

 but procured a good number of those of the preceding year, which kept apart 

 from the old birds, but had in all respects the same habits. 



The Roseate Tern is at all times a noisy, restless bird; and on approaching 

 its breeding place, it incessantly emits its sharp shrill cries, resembling the 

 syllable crdk. Its flight is unsteady and flickering, like that of the Arctic or 

 Lesser Tern, but rather more buoyant and graceful. They would dash at 

 us and be off again with astonishing quickness, making great use of their tail 

 on such occasions. While in search of prey, they carry the bill in the 

 manner of the Common Tern, that is perpendicularly downward, plunge like 

 a shot, with wings nearly closed, so as to immerse part of the body, and 

 immediately reascend. They were seen dipping in this manner eight or ten 

 times in succession, and each time generally secured a small fish. Their 

 food consisted of fishes, and a kind of small molluscous animal which floats 

 near the surface, and bears the name of "sailor's button." They usually 

 kept in parties of from ten to twenty, followed the shores of the sand-bars 

 and keys, moving backwards and forwards much in the manner of the Lesser 



Vol. VII. 17 



