146 The Irish Naturalist. [June 



something to it ; for on 7th April the same year I met this 

 beautiful Tern near the island of Bartragh, Killala Bay. 

 Having previously resided in the South of Ireland, it was 

 quite unknown to me, and when the attention of my brother 

 and myself was first attracted by its very peculiar cry (which if 

 once heard can never be mistaken or forgotten), we were much 

 puzzled, as for a long time we could not make out what had 

 uttered it, or from what direction it proceeded. However, 

 chancing after some time to look upwards, we were just able 

 to perceive some birds, wheeling about, and soaring at an 

 immense height, all the time screaming loudly. This wild 

 flight and strange cry, so unlike that of any bird we 

 knew, induced us to watch them closely, and after some time 

 they gradually lowered their flight to the water. Seeing that 

 they were some species of tern, we got into our boat, and 

 having succeeded in shooting a couple, found that they 

 were this lovely tern, and in such a perfect state of plumage 

 that their breasts and bellies had quite a rosy tinge almost as 

 deep as that of Roseate Terns. This peculiar habit of soaring 

 to such a height as to be almost invisible, and wheeling in wide 

 circles, occasionally chasing each other and screaming loudly, 

 is most frequently seen early in the season before they begin 

 to hatch, although occasionally in August and September, a 

 pair may be seen acting in a similar manner, but almost in- 

 variably on fine bright days. As these terns remained all 

 the season feeding about the bay and estuary, we were most 

 anxious to find their breeding-station, but although we made 

 many inquiries and searches we quite failed, and what made 

 the failure the more annoying was, that at the time the birds 

 were hatching the male birds were seen daily flying inland in 

 the direction of I^ough Conn, with Sand-eels in their bills to 

 feed their sitting mates. I^ough Conn, however, was visited 

 twice without our seeing any trace of the Sandwich Terns 

 either on or about the lake, the only birds met with being 

 Blackheaded Gulls and Common Terns. Our search for the 

 breeding-haunt having thus failed, I gave it up for a time, but 

 in May, 1857, I was told of a small lough where a number of 

 small gulls bred, and which was situated close to the residence 

 of the late Mr. Gardiner of Cloona, two miles from the town of 

 Ballina, and about four from the estuary. On visiting the 

 lough i found it to be surrounded on two sides by a turf bog 



