*Sterna media, Horsf.
The Allied Tern.
Colonel Butler writes of the nidification of this species in the Persian Gulf:- " I received a magnificent series of eggs of the Allied Tern from an island close to the Island of Arabe in the Persian Gulf in 1878, numbering about 400. They are in character a good deal like the eggs of Sterna bergii, but of course considerably smaller."
The eggs are typical Terns' eggs, ovals sometimes moderately broad, generally somewhat elongated, almost invariably decidedly pointed towards the small end. The shell is tolerably fine, but entirely devoid of gloss ; the ground-colour is in most specimens nearly white, but in some has a slight pinky buffy tinge; the markings are always sparse ; the primary markings are extremely dark, in some cases almost absolutely black, but where the colour is thinner showing a deep burnt-sienna brown. Some of these markings are moderate-sized blotches and spots, but almost every egg exhibits at least one or two, and many of them several, very large coarse irregular patches, almost black in the centre, but red- dish-brown towards the edges; many of the smaller spots are surrounded by a reddish-brown nimbus. The secondary markings the usual pale inky grey, a few in number and inconspicuous. Occasionally eggs are met with exhibiting scarcely any markings, a single blotch 02 in diameter, 20 or 30 tiny specks, and perhaps half a dozen tiny purplish-grey subsurface-looking spots.
The eggs vary from 1.91 to 235 in length, and from 1.38 to 1.5 in breadth.
The Allied Tern.
Colonel Butler writes of the nidification of this species in the Persian Gulf:- " I received a magnificent series of eggs of the Allied Tern from an island close to the Island of Arabe in the Persian Gulf in 1878, numbering about 400. They are in character a good deal like the eggs of Sterna bergii, but of course considerably smaller."
The eggs are typical Terns' eggs, ovals sometimes moderately broad, generally somewhat elongated, almost invariably decidedly pointed towards the small end. The shell is tolerably fine, but entirely devoid of gloss ; the ground-colour is in most specimens nearly white, but in some has a slight pinky buffy tinge; the markings are always sparse ; the primary markings are extremely dark, in some cases almost absolutely black, but where the colour is thinner showing a deep burnt-sienna brown. Some of these markings are moderate-sized blotches and spots, but almost every egg exhibits at least one or two, and many of them several, very large coarse irregular patches, almost black in the centre, but red- dish-brown towards the edges; many of the smaller spots are surrounded by a reddish-brown nimbus. The secondary markings the usual pale inky grey, a few in number and inconspicuous. Occasionally eggs are met with exhibiting scarcely any markings, a single blotch 02 in diameter, 20 or 30 tiny specks, and perhaps half a dozen tiny purplish-grey subsurface-looking spots.
The eggs vary from 1.91 to 235 in length, and from 1.38 to 1.5 in breadth.
