TERN 421 



One of the principal breeding places of this bird in the 

 county is tlie great shingle beach at Dungeness. 



Mr. W. H. Power, in his Birds Observed at Bain- 

 ham, 1865, writes : " This species was first seen this 

 season about the latter end of July, from which time 

 until the end of September they might constantly be seen 

 beating the creeks in a most methodical manner." Mr. 

 F. D. Power, in 1868, says : " It is very abundant this 

 year in the Rainham marshes, and continued numerous 

 until the end of September. Small parties of about a 

 dozen seen early in October, and for the last time on the 

 10th. Immature birds predominated largely — I should 

 think quite fifty to one." 



Captain Boyd Alexander, in his notes on the bu:ds at 

 Dungeness, 1896, writes : " The restricted breeding area 

 taken up by the Common Tern is distinctly prejudicial 

 to the safety of their eggs. The children of the fisher- 

 men and coastguard officers soon discover these spots, 

 and the eggs are robbed right and left for the purpose of 

 eating. Over these places sheep have invariably been 

 feeding, and where they have poked their noses, forming 

 small stone-padded hollows, the eggs are more often than 

 not laid. On May 21 a nest of the Common Tern was 

 found containing five eggs. They were of the reddish- 

 buff variety." 



In Mr. F. Hepburn's notes on the birds of Dungeness, 

 1900, he says : " May 10 to 14. There were plenty of 

 these birds about the beach and sea-coast at this date, 

 but they had not yet begun to lay. June 3 to 4 : Now- 

 nesting in considerable numbers on various parts of 

 the beach. As a rule the birds were congregated into 

 colonies, but I found two separate nests in quite isolated 

 positions. In the colonies the nests were on an average 



