SANDWICH TERN. 245 



a wide distribution in Asia, Africa, and America, and a closely 

 allied race is found in Australia. It occurs from time to time 

 on our southern and eastern shores, and has once been recorded 

 from Lancashire, and more recently from the Pentland Skerries. 

 The majority of the records are in spring or summer. 



The heavy angled bill of this bird is black, as are its legs, 

 and its colour scheme is that of other terns ; the frosted primaries 

 are a darker grey than the mantle. Saunders gives the alarm 

 note as af^ af, af^ and Legge says that its call is che-ah^ though 

 Irby spells it kuk-zuuk, neither of which convey much to those 

 who have not heard the note. 



In India and Africa it feeds largely on insects, catching them 

 on the wing, but it also eats fish and frogs. 



The young bird has the head spotted and streaked with 

 brown^ and the back and wings mottled with brown and buff; 

 the bill and legs are browner than in the mature bird. Length, 

 15 ins. Wing, 12-5 ins. Tarsus, 1-5 ins. 



Sandwich Tern. Sterna sajidvicensis Latham. 



Together with its American sub-species, the Sandwich Tern 

 (Plate 107) is practically a bird of the North Atlantic and 

 southern European seas, migrating so far south as Natal and 

 Brazil. Small colonies are scattered round the British coasts, 

 and in Ireland on at least two inland loughs ; the largest 

 colonies, all now protected, are at the Fames, Ravenglass, and 

 Walney. The statement that the last of these is now deserted 

 was certainly incorrect a few years ago ; I saw both birds and 

 eggs in 1914. Other small colonies have been established 

 recently, for the bird is increasing, and possibly has benefited 

 by the preoccupation of collectors during the war. 



The Sandwich is the largest of our breeding terns and one of 

 the easiest to recognise ; its greater stretch of wing, shorter 

 forked tail, and heavier build, separate it at once from the 



