534 THE TERNS. 



instead of drab, and the tail silvery instead of white, the 

 outer vane of the long outer feathers, white, and the inner 

 darker than the rest of the tail. In the winter plumage it 

 is distinguishable by the disappearing of the black crown, 

 except a black stripe on each side of the head. Its note is 

 similar to that of the Common Tern, but noticeably on a 

 lower key. 



The nesting of the four species of Terns above given is 

 quite similar, and under certain circumstances quite 

 variable. Commonly, the nest is a depression in the 

 ground, with a slight arrangement of dried grasses. If the 

 nest is in the grass, it may be quite well built up; if on the 

 shore, it may be only a slight hollow in the sand; or fine 

 pebbles or bits of slate may be circularly arranged, after 

 the manner of the Killdeer; or the egg or eggs may be laid 

 directly on the green sward. The complete number of eggs 

 is most commonly two, often one, sometimes three. About 

 1.74 X 1.13 and regularly ovate, they are some shade of light- 

 green or light-brown, variously specked, spotted and 

 blotched with dark-brown and neutral, the markings pre- 

 dominating at the large end. 



In some breeding places near the southwest end of the 

 province, I could identify none but the Arctic Terns; and 

 so could feel very well assured that I was examining 

 nothing but Arctic Terns' nests; but where several of the 

 above species of Terns breed in community, I do not see 

 how the eggs and nests can be specifically determined, — 

 their similarity is so great, and the birds invariably leave 

 the nests before one comes near them. From eggs well 

 identified, I should think that possibly the ground-color of 

 the eggs of the Arctic tends rather to green, and that of 

 the Wilson to brown. More than that I could not affirm, as 

 to any appreciable difference in the eggs of these two species. 



