266 
HOGAN, Birds of Willis Island 
The Emu 
April 
Bird Notes from Willis Island 
By J. HOGAN, Meteorological Observer at Willis Island during 
the 1922-3 and 1923-4 Cyclone Seasons. 
(Communicated by A. J. CAMPBELL, C.M.B.O.U., etc.) 
(1) SOOTY TERN {Sterna fuscata). 
These birds were the most numerous on the island, though 
their numbers changed from time to time. Among the flocks 
resting during the days on the lower grassed areas, at the time 
of our arrival in October, 1922, were only a few young birds, 
and these had almost reached the flying stage. Throughout every 
night of the six months season, with the exception of four suc¬ 
cessive nights in March, 1923, when heavy gales prevailed, large 
numbers of Sooty Terns hovered in a long line over the island, 
screeching incessantly. They commenced this nightly perform¬ 
ance late in the afternoon, and their screeching continued till 
shortly before dawn. Towards the middle of December the 
number of Sooty Terns about the island during the day time 
showed a rapid falling off, and after a few more days it was seen 
that they had left altogether during the day time; but they never 
failed to return towards evening in large numbers to hover over¬ 
head. During the last week of December, 1922, the numbers 
screeching overhead were particularly large, and in walking 
round the beach one evening I saw in the moonlight that the 
large areas of sand at the N.W. end were covered with dense 
masses of these birds without causing any apparent diminution 
in the numbers hovering overhead. 
Towards the middle of February, 1923, the Sooty Terns again 
frequented the island by day, at first confining themselves to the 
beaches, and it was not until the middle of March that they were 
noticed on the grassed areas. In April the nesting season began; 
the first egg was found on April 12th. Many eggs were destroyed 
by land-crabs and Land-Rails. One rookery in particular was 
observed, and it was noticed that within five days after the eggs 
were laid (and some hundreds were laid in a small area), not 
one remained unbroken. 
I he habits of the Sooty Terns during the 1923-4 season fur¬ 
nished some contrasts to those of the previous season. Whereas 
in November, 1922, scarcely a young bird was to be seen, in 
November, 1923, the island was practically covered with young. 
! hey were distributed over the grassed areas in flocks, and 
showed various stages of growth from birds a week or so old to 
others that could fly. The presence of the parent birds, some 
These observations extend over the periods from October 
^nno 1 ^\/r’ 28th, 1923, and from November 14th, 
192J, to May 7th, 1924, and continue the observations made by 
Capt. J. K. Davis, vide Emu , XXII., p. 181. 
