LIFE HISTORIES OE NORTH AMERICAN GULLS AND TERNS. 193 



narrow tongue of land projecting into a small pond among a net- 

 work of ponds on the tundra. The nest was a slight hollow in the 

 wet ground, 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep, lined with a few 

 dry grass stalks. The nest cavity was wet and the eggs were covered 

 with a coating of mud. Both of the parent birds showed anxiety 

 while he was some distance from the nest, but kept quiet when he was 

 near it. After he had taken the eggs the birds followed him for 

 half a mile, darting about his head. 



The Canadian Neptune Expedition to Hudson Bay, according to 

 Eev. C. W. G. Eifrig (1905), found the Sabine's gull "common on 

 Southampton and other islands, breeding there along the shores and 

 the banks of small ponds, in company with the Arctic tern. They 

 make no nest but deposit their eggs in the sand. Two eggs were 

 taken at Southampton, June 28, 1904." 



Eggs. — Three eggs, or often only two, constitute a full set. They 

 are ovate or pointed ovate in shape. The ground color is " Dresden 

 brown," "Isabella color," "ecru olive," or "deep olive-buff." They 

 are seldom conspicuously marked, but are usually faintly and irregu- 

 larly spotted and blotched with "Saccardo's umber" or "sepia." 

 Sometimes they are more clearly and boldly marked with "sepia," 

 "bister," or "warm sepia;" occasionally an egg is marked with a 

 few bold markings of " blackish brown ;" and sometimes the markings 

 are concentrated in a ring around the larger end. The measure- 

 ments of 56 eggs, in the United States National Museum, average 

 45.5 by 32 millimeters ; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 

 49.5 by 31.5, 47 by 34, and 39.5 by 30 millimeters. 



Young. — Nothing seems to be known about the period of incuba- 

 tion, but both birds apparently incubate and are very devoted in the 

 care of the young. Mr. Hersey noted that when the birds were hiding 

 in his vicinity the parents frequently alighted on the ground near 

 him and ran back and forth with trailing wings after the manner of 

 shore birds, but unlike other gulls or terns. 



The young are less active than most young gulls ; at the approach of danger 

 they either sit perfectly still with half -closed eyes or march slowly away in 

 the dignified manner of adult gulls. They have a note like the adults, but it 

 is not so sharp and is lacking in strength. While in the downy stage they 

 hide in the grass, but when about two weeks old and nearly fledged they begin 

 to frequent the, small ponds when they swim about ; if danger threatens they 

 swim ashore and hide. Even at this age the old birds watch them constantly, 

 and any glaucous or short-billed gull that comes near Is promptly driven away, 

 several Sabine's gulls uniting in the pursuit to protect the helpless young. 



Plumages. — The downy young is dark colored, from " ochraceous 

 tawny " to " tawny olive " on the upper parts and throat, paler on the 

 chin, fading off to " pale pinkish buff " or paler on the belly. The 

 crown and sides of the head are distinctly spotted or streaked with 



