940 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII^ 
Zarudny says it occurs in winter in the Karun river and Pitman records it all 
the year on the rivers and marshes but nowhere common except at the nesting 
places. By March 20th I found it common on the lower reaches of the 
Shat-el-Arab, otherwise all the other records relate to the breeding season. 
Tomlinson says it breeds near Basra early in June on sandy islets in the in- 
undation ; Cheesman found it breeding at Gurmat Ali and the Hamar lake, and 
Buxton on the drying marshes east of Amara. It probably breeds at Ahwaz. 
Pitman found large colonies nesting in June in the marshes of the Hindia Barrage; 
no nest was made, the eggs being laid in a scrape or natural depression ; over 100 
fresh eggs were examined on June 2nd and 3rd and many eggs were destroyed 
through the rising of the water ; 49 eggs varied from l'33-l’6x P04 — P2 inches 
(or 33’75 — 40’5x26'5 — 30‘5 mm.) ; the ground colour varied through all shades 
of green to almost deep blue. This Tern probably nests in many other places, 
such as the Tekrit area where Logan Home saw it in June. 
Skins obtained : J - Basra, 19-4-17 (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.) ; Hindia Barrage, 
2-6-17, 25-6-17 (C. R. P.). * 
Several observers thought they saw the Arctic Tern in Mesopotamia, but so far I 
we have no evidence that it occurs. 
300. Little Tern. Sterna minuta. | 
Sterna minuta minuta, L. (Syst. Nat. Ed. xii, 1766, p. 228 — S. Europe) 
The actual status of the Little Tern is doubtful, probably most are summer 
visitors, though perhaps here and there a few spend the winter. Thus Pitman 
says that at Kut some were seen after heavy rain in winter and I saw two over 
the river at Basra on November 23rd. 
On April 18th Cheesman noted parties flying up the river at Basra all day, 
evidently a movement up to some breeding ground ; Pitman records the arrival 
at Eeluja on April 29th. 
It breeds in many places from Tekrit to Fao ; the site usually chosen is the 
bare dry ground on the edge of a flooded area, or islands in marshes, and conse- 
quently, as with the Common Tern, many nests are destroyed when the floods 
rise. Two eggs form the usual clutch, but sometimes three are laid ; 13 eggs 
average P15 — L29X’9 — '97 inch (or 26'5 — 32’75 X 22‘75 — 24‘5 mm.) according 
to Pitman who says the ground colour in some cases was greenish stone. It 
breeds on sandy islands on the Karun at Ahwaz. The majority have left by the 
end of September, and Buxton records an apparent migration up the Tigris at 
Baghdad from the 7th to 26th. 
Four skins examined ; Fao, 12-5-18 (Armstrong) : Kurna, 8-6-19 ; Basra, 
16-8-19 (Logan Home). ; Basra, 18-4-17 (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.). 
Besides these there are a good many from Fao in the B. M. ; all belong to 
minuta, the typical race, and not one of them is saundersi (the type and a 
large series of topo-types of which I have examined). Saundersi has been recorded 
from Fao by Sharpe and is said to breed near the Abdulla Banks. Armstrong’s 
bird which was breeding on the dry mud above high water maik at Fao however, 
and all Cumming’s birds in the B. M. are m. minuta. 
Zarudny records saundersi as rare in winter in the Karun district, but at pre- 
sent I consider that it should be deleted from the Mesopotamian list. 
301. Large Crested Tern. Sterna bergii. 
Sterna bergii relax, Cretzsch (Rupp. Atlas, p. 21, 1826). 
Camming states (Ibis. 1891) that he obtained six eggs at P'ao ; probably it 
breeds on one of the islands in the head of the Gulf and must occur off the Fao 
littoral and the entrance to the Shat-el-Arab where Harrison says he saw it : it 
is not likely to penetrate inland. According to Hartert it is the above race which 
occurs in the Persian Gulf, — I have seen no specimens thence. 
