644 SANDWICH TERN. 



hagen in the Baltic, though it nests in large colonies on the low- 

 coasts and some of the islands of the North Sea, from Jutland to the 

 Netherlands. On migration it visits the shores of France, and in 

 1898 several pairs bred on an islet near Guernsey; while it is 

 common on passage in Spain, where some remain to nest, as they 

 do in Sardinia, and perhaps in Sicily. Further up the Mediterranean 

 it is comparatively rare, but it is plentiful on the Black and Caspian 

 Seas, and occurs along the Arabian and Persian coasts, and as far 

 as Karachi in Sind. It nests in the Canaries, and frequents the 

 northern waters of Africa, going down the west coast in winter as 

 far as Cape Colony, and reaching Natal on the east. In America this 

 Tern (sometimes distinguished as Sterna acuflavidd) inhabits the 

 Atlantic sea-board from New England southward to Honduras, 

 and the late Mr. Salvin found it breeding in the latter, while he 

 noticed it on both coasts of Guatemala ; in winter it has occurred 

 at Cartagena, Colombia. 



The nests are frequently mere shallow holes scratched in the 

 sand among sea-campion or other plants, but on Walney Island and 

 elsewhere tolerably solid structures of bents have been noticed. 

 The eggs are usually 2 and rarely 3 in number, and while many are 

 of a warm stone-colour, thickly scrolled and spotted with ash-grey, 

 black or deep reddish-brown, in others the ground-colour is creamy- 

 white : measurements 2 in. by i"5 in. By fishermen this species 

 is distinguished as ' the Tern,' and other species pass under the 

 general name of ' Sea-Swallows.' It subsists chiefly upon fish, 

 especially the sand-lance and young gar-fish. Its flight is strong and 

 rapid, the bird making a great advance at each stroke of the 

 pinions ; and, except when engaged in incubation, it is usually on 

 the wing, uttering at intervals a hoarse and grating cry, kirhitf, 

 kirhitt, audible at a long distance. 



The adult in spring has the bill chiefly black, yellow at the tip ; 

 forehead, crown and elongated nuchal feathers black ; mantle pearl- 

 grey ; quills rather darker on the portion of the web next to the 

 white shaft, but pure white on the greater part of the inner web 

 down to the very tip ; rump and tail white ; throat and under-parts 

 white, often suffused with a lovely salmon-pink ; legs and feet black. 

 In June the black on the forehead begins to diminish, and much of 

 it has disappeared by the end of August, but the nape remains 

 mottled throughout the winter. Length 16 in. (bill 2-5 in.), wing 

 12 in. The young (in the background) has the head barred with 

 black and white ; the back, wingcoverts and tail-feathers varied with 

 ansrular lines of black. 



