40 THE CONDOR Vol. XXIV 
the earth and rendered them very inconspicuous when not moving. Many of 
them hit for sea as we came near them and swam some distance away from 
shore. In many nests were found freshly caught fish, but whether destined for 
the brooding birds or the soon-to-be-hatched young was not apparent. There 
were many dead young and some were seen killed by the Caspian Terns, who 
were doubtless furious at our intrusion into their homes. On May 23 more 
young were in evidence and many were in their pin feathers, much more spry 
and wary, running without falling, and swimming with ease. 
The Gull-billed Tern is extremely vociferous when its nest is approached, 
but not nearly so much so as is the Common Tern. The latter is quite pugnaci- 
ous and its voice is sharper, shriller and more nervous in its character than 
that of the Gull-billed Tern. There is a monotonous beat or timbre to the ery 
Fig. 16. PART OF THE CASPIAN TERN COLONY. CAMERON COUNTY, TEXAS, 
of the bird which renders it quite distinctive to my ear. Bent deseribes this 
ery as katydid-katydid, and that seems to me to be a perfect rendition. The: 
Gull-billed does not return to its nest as quickly as the Common, but beats in 
haphazard fashion back and forth before finally dropping. The Common Tern, 
quite the opposite, returns quickly to its eggs after completing its furious at- 
tacks on the intruder. The Gull-billed forages farther from home than any 
of the other terns. I saw individuals at Brownsville, a distance of fourteen 
miles, catching minnows and carrying them unswallowed back in the direction 
of the colony. | 
The eggs of the Gull-billed Tern present more variation than those of the 
other small terns. The usual type is a ight brownish, well spotted with darker 
brown, the spots being large. Then there is a light bluish-gray shell with very 
dark brown spots; and the rarest type has a gray shell beautifully marked with 
