The Forster Tern 
made very hasty requisi¬ 
tion; but I have seen 
others in which the eggs 
of the rightful owner 
were nearly buried under 
a little turret of dried 
reeds, upon which the 
tern had been allowed to 
lay her full complement. 
In regions where 
muskrat houses are com¬ 
mon, the terns use them 
as nesting sites; and 
where the accommoda¬ 
tions are ample, or the 
colony crowded, share 
them to the number of 
. . Taken in Merced County Photo by the Author 
two or three pairs to a hovering 
turret. Occasionally the birds succeed in improvising floating nests of their 
own, where the water is quiet and offers support of submerged vegetation. 
Taken in Merced County Photo by the Author 
A NESTING HAUNT OF THE FORSTER TERN 
1445 
