1896.] Warren. — The Tcnis of Killala Day. 151 



avoid treading on the eggs, so thickly were they scattered 

 about. We found that only about fifty or sixty pairs had eggs 

 on the short pasture, and on the rocks ; not more than half a 

 dozen young birds were seen, although it was so late as the 

 7th Jul3% but the birds had been much harassed and dis- 

 turbed by previous visitors taking the eggs out of mere wanton 

 mischief, and leaving them in heaps on the grass. We found 

 one heap of 50 or 60 eggs left near the landing-place, all nearly 

 incubated, and this wanton destruction of the eggs easily 

 accounted for the few nests found by us, and the small number 

 of young birds seen. 



William Thompson was not aware of this tern having any 

 inland breeding-haunts, but considered it strictly marine in 

 all its habits, and both Mr. Yarrell and Mr. H. Saunders appear 

 to have been of the same opinion, for neither in the last edition 

 of "British Birds," nor in Saunders' ''Handbook," is there 

 any mention of this bird breeding on fresh water within the 

 British Isles. 



The first intimation I had of this tern breeding on fresh 

 water, was from my old and valued friend, the late Mr. A. G. 

 More, who, when botanising along the shores and islands of 

 the Mayo lakes, met this bird breeding in company with 

 Common Terns on an island on I^ough Carra ; and I was also 

 informed in 1891 by Mr. W. H. Good, of Westport, that he 

 met with it breeding on islands, both on I^oughs Mask and 

 Carra : which statements I verified, when visiting these lakes 

 in the company of my friend Mr. W. Williams, of Dublin, in 

 June, 1893, for we obtained specimens on both lakes, and 

 brought young and eggs from an island off Cushlough on 

 Lough Mask. 



This tern is remarkable for the great extent of its breeding 

 range, which extends from the inland lakes of Ireland, to 

 Smith's Sound in the Arctic regions, as far north as the foot 

 of civilized man has trod ; Colonel Fielden of the late Arctic 

 discovery expedition under Captain Nares, having met with 

 this bird near the Alert's winter-quarters on the i6th June, 

 1876. In August of the previous year, he found eight pairs 

 breeding on a small islet at the mouth of Discovery Bay, and 

 a newly-hatched young bird in a nest surrounded by snow. 



The I^iTTi^E Tern {Sterna minuta) is a regular summer 

 visitor, generally arriving in the estuary during the first or 



