44 THE CONDOR Vol. XXIV 
on the southern shoal. There were two separate egg-fields some 100 feet apart. 
The larger of the two was closer to the Caspian colony than any other, while 
the smaller was rather close to a part of the Gull-billed main colony. Each of 
these egg-field colonies had twenty-five pairs of Royal and fifteen pairs of 
Cabot terns, approximately. After seeing the laboriously constructed nests 
of such birds as the Verdin, the Golden-fronted Woodpecker (which in this 
country hews out its home from the tough pine telephone poles), and the Cae- 
tus Wren, one wonders at the reason for it all when the Royal Tern is seen to 
do quite as well in producing its progeny by the simple matter of laying its 
egg wherever it happens to be sitting last! All the eggs, as shown in the 
photograph, lay at an average distance apart of about eighteen inches, just a 
comfortable distance. The eges of the Royal formed one continuous, field, 
with those of the Cabot adjoining it to one side with no break in the contin- 
uity. When resting on the eggs the birds faced east and a majority of the eggs 
pointed west, that is, the large end toward the east. When this closely con- 
Fig. 20. THE CABOT TERNS ALLOWED OF CLOSER APPROACIL DIRECTLY THAN DID ANY OF THE 
; OTHER SPECIES. 
gested colony was approached the birds raised themselves to their feet and 
stood, wings fluttering, crying at the tops of their voices. The Royals left the 
Tone first when I was at a distance of seventy-five feet, but the Cabots stuek 
to their posts until I was closer than fifty feet. While looking the eggs over, 
the birds hovered overhead but made no attacks like the Common and Least 
terns. Very shortly after I left the egg-field the Cabots dropped onto their 
eggs, the Royals following soon after. All ont their individual eggs with no 
fuss or fighting. Bent in his ‘‘Life Histories’’ speaks of these two species as 
the Damon and Pythias of the bird world and the comparison is admirable. 
The two species stick closely together even when on the wine, but the Royal 
seems to be the leader. 
The eggs of the Royal Tern vary little in aaa and size but in markings 
a great deal. Some eggs have a creamy brown shell, well spotted and blotched 
with dark greenish black, while others are spotless white with fine specks uni- 
