186 BULLETIN- 113,' UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



sandy shade so common in eggs of Sterna and other members of the order. 

 They are spotted, especially near the larger end, with chocolate-brown (not 

 earthy brown), the somewhat clouded spots being generally some 3-5 mm. in 

 diameter, and not so sharply defined on the dark ground color as is usual in 

 gavian eggs. The spots are of unequal intensity, some darker, some paler, 

 with every intergradation ; they can not be divided into two sharply defined 

 groups as in other gavian eggs, perhaps because the dark markings do not 

 stand out very clearly on the deep olive-green ground color. 



During the daytime even the female readily leaves the nest, and flies about 

 the pools of water or walks over the melting ice, picking up insects and often 

 slipping in a curious way on the surface. But in the night— the sunny 

 Arctic night— the rosy gulls which mob you at some distance from the colony 

 are invariably males. When an intruder visits the colony the gulls fly over- 

 head and scream, but are far less noisy and anxious than the terns. If he sits 

 down they very soon become quiet, and the female settles down on her eggs 

 even within 30 or 40 yards, and so betrays their position. If the nest is 

 approached both parents hover overhead persistently, but do not venture nearer 

 than 15 or 25 yards, the male, being usually silent, but the female screaming 

 and uttering cries of various description— now the regular note of " kiaoo, 

 kiaoo,. kiaoo ; miaw, mlaw, yiaw, viaw ; trrrrr " ; now the true Larine " kwa, 

 kwa, kwa," or even a ternlike " ee, ee, ee-kwa, iew," all with very varied .in- 

 tonation. When the nest has been passed some 20 or 30 paces the female 

 settles down and looks to see if the eggs are still there. On one occasion only, 

 after I had taken the eggs, did she pursue me angrily at close quarters, until 

 I had left the colony ; this was an intensely colored, and evidently a very old, 

 bird. 



Young. — Young rosy gulls are very lively and clever little creatures. As soon 

 as they see an intruder they try to creep through the grass to the water, and 

 swim away to some distance, even if the waves are comparatively heavy. More 

 readily still they swim to the places where tufts of Carex and other plants, old 

 and dry, stand up here and there in the water, and then lie on the surface, 

 quite still, close by one of these tufts, as if conscious that their grayish-marked 

 dirty-yellow garb corresponds so closely with the spots and strips of light and 

 shadow playing on the dirty-yellow dead grass as to be practically invisible 

 even at a distance of a few yards, especially if the wind, which is nearly 

 always blowing here, is ruffling the surface. If you lie well hidden, after 

 several minutes the little creature begins to swim about, returning to the 

 ground or wet grass whence you disturbed it, and uttering cries as it searches 

 for its mother. When caught it pecks your fingers, peeps and quacks, but is not 

 much frightened. 



The parents, especially the females, make a great noise around an intruder in 

 the colony, varying their voices and notes even more than when there are eggs ; 

 " kliaw, kliaw, kliaw ; kwiaoo, a-wa, a-wa, a-wa, trrrrr . . . ; pioo, kwee- 

 kwoo, a-dak, a-dak, a-dak; kliaw, kliaw, eea, eea; kwa-kwa-kwa, pee-kwa, 

 kakee-a," are heard all the time in various modulations. Near its eggs the rosy 

 gull might appear somewhat foolish, but now all is changed. The female flies 

 Slowly just abbve the ground or wet grass, of partly swims, partly flutters, 

 over the surface of the plant-covered water, settles down again, looking here 

 and there, gently uttering her "a-wa, a-wa," and makes you feel certain that 

 she is trying her utmost to draw attention away from her young. But if you 

 follow her, and then suddenly stop and look back, you will often see the little 

 one hurrying from the place where you were just searching ; while in any case 

 you will find nothing at the place where the female appeared so busy. One 



