LITTLE TERN. 66 1 



Wild Birds Protection Act of 1894, to save the birds from 

 molestation. Spurn was declared a protected area, a watcher 

 was appointed, and although a certain amount of " egging " 

 cannot altogether be prevented, it is satisfactory to know 

 that the only Yorkshire colony of Terns is now increasing in 

 numbers (in 1900 about a hundred pairs of young were hatched), 

 and the protection is continued (see Cordeaux and Boyes, 

 op. cit. 1868, '69, '70, '71 ; Field, 6th April 1895 ; and Nat. 

 1900, p. 321). Writing in the Zoologist (1845, p. 1187), 

 J. Hogg referred to the Lesser Tern as " inhabiting in summer 

 the sandy beach near the Teesmouth," but whether it is to be 

 inferred from this that it nested there is not clear. 



On the coast north of Spurn the Little Tern occasionally 

 occurs in spring and autumn at Flamborough, Scarborough, 

 Whitby, and Staithes ; and both adult and young birds 

 annually visit the estuary of the Tees late in summer and 

 autumn. It usually appears in August, although on 29th 

 July 1878, I saw ten, three of which were procured ; in 1884 

 two were obtained on 12th July ; and on 30th July 1905 

 a large flock, comprising two or three hundred individuals, 

 was reported at the Teesmouth. The majority leave early 

 in September, stragglers occasionally remaining later ; three 

 immature birds were observed on 25th September 1901, 

 and two on the 17th of the same month in the year following. 

 It has been noted at Spurn as late as the second week in 

 October, whilst at Flamborough I examined a specimen 

 on 15th October 1903. The only spring occurrence at Redcar 

 was in 1882, when an individual was picked up on the sands 

 on i8th May. 



The Little Tern is a very scarce species inland, but has 

 been recorded from Sheffield and Huddersfield ; it occurs regu- 

 larly on the reservoirs near Wakefield in spring and autumn ; 

 one was taken at Selby about 1862 ; another at Blackley in 

 1875 ; it was noted for Wensleydale by Barker ; and at Acaster 

 one was shot in 1869, and exhibited at a meeting of the York 

 Naturalists' Club. 



A rather peculiar variation from the ordinary type of 

 egg was found at Spurn in 1894 ; it was one of a clutch of 



