LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN GUUL.S AND TERNS. 251 



(1886) says that this tern is one of the earliest birds to arrive at St. 

 Michael, Alaska. 



The earliest date recorded was April 25,, a very early season, showing that 

 the terns only await the movement of the sea ice to appear in any locality. 

 They become very abundant by the middle of May. 



Murdoch (1885) reports that the tern arrives at Point Barrow, 

 Alaska, about June 10. 



Nesting. — The Arctic tern prefers to breed in colonies of its own 

 species, but it is not rare to find a few common terns in these colonies 

 or to find a colony composed largely of common terns with a few 

 arctic terns. In Alaska they are often associated with Aleutian terns. 

 Turner (1886) saj^s their nests are sometimes placed within 2 feet 

 of each other, and apparently without causing animosity between the 

 species. Sandy or rocky islands are usually chosen, and the nests 

 are scattered more or less thickly over the ground. Grinnell (1900) 

 states that in Alaska he did not find the bird in colonies, as two nests 

 were seldom within a hundred yards of each other ; usually only one 

 pair were found at a pond. Small islets were often selected, but he 

 occasionally found this species nesting on the tundra a quarter of a 

 mile from the nearest lake. , ; ,. 



Nelson (1883) says: 



Along both shores of Bering Sea and upon both shores of the adjoining Arctic 

 waters tliis bird is very common. It nests wherever found in this region, and 

 occurs indifferently either in the interior along the courses of the rivers, or on 

 the salt marshes and barren islands on the seacoast. * * * It nests on some 

 of the sterile islands of the North, in flocks, upon the bare sandy or pebbly 

 ground, with no trace of any artificial nest. * * * On the eastern shore of 

 Bering Sea I have only found it nesting singly, in pairs scattered here and there 

 over the marshes, and in one instance three pairs were found occupying the same 

 small island in a lake, which is the largest number I found nesting in close 

 proximity. 



This goes to show, as he says, " that the birds' habits vary greatly 

 Avith the locality." Hinckley (1900) found the Arctic tern nesting 

 along the Sushitna and Kuskokwim Rivers " even in high mountain 

 valleys." Turner (1886) says: 



They breed in the low grounds, preferably a low, damp island, such as those 

 at the northern end of the canal. At this place hundreds of nests were dis- 

 covered in 1876. 



Feilden (1877) found several pairs of Arctic terns breeding in 

 latitude 81° 44' on Bellots Island, on August 21. The land was cov- 

 ered with snow, and from one nest, in which was a newly hatched tern, 

 the parents had thrown out the snow so that the nest was surrounded 

 by a border marked by their feet 2 inches above the general level. 



The Arctic tern is more inclined to omit nesting material than is 

 the common tern, and its nest is generally merely a hollow in the 



