io2 BRITISH NESTING BIRDS 



TERN, COMMON (Sterna flitviatilis) 



Local Names. — Big Mow, Great Tern, Gull Teaser, Kip, Kirmew, 

 Pease Crow, Picket, Picktarny, Pirr, Rippock, Rittock, Scobby 

 Scraye, Scrage, Sea Swallow, Sporre, Spurre, Tarney, Tarrack, 

 Tarret, Terrick, White Daw. 



flaunt. — The sea. seashore, and inland waters. 



Nesting Period. — May and June. 



Site of Nest. — Same as Arctic Tern, and near inland waters. 



Materials Used. — If any, dry bents. 



Eggs. — Two or Three. Grey, yellowish-stone, or olive, blotched and 

 spotted with dark brown and grey. 



Food. — Small fish. 



Voice. — Call, a sharp and angry " pirre," or a sharp " krrick." 



Chief Features. — Found further South than the last named, and is 

 not so slimly built. Dull white underneath instead of pearl- 

 grey, and beak is tipped with coral-red instead of blood-red. 



Plumage. — Orange-red bill, legs, and feet; plumage generally same 

 as Arctic Tern, but lower parts more whitish. Length. — Four- 

 teen and a quarter inches. 



TERN, LESSER (Sterna minuta) 

 Local Names. — Chit-Perl, Lesser Sea Swallow, Little Mow, Little 



Tern, Pease Crow, Rickel Bird, Skerrek. 

 Haunt. — The sea and seashore. 

 Nesting Period. — June. 

 Site of Nest. — Same as Arctic Tern. 

 Materials Used. — None. 

 Eggs. — Three or Four. Yellowish-white, blotched with dark brown 



and ash-grey. 

 Food. — Small fish. 

 Voice. — Call, a sharp " pirre," a shrill "krrick," and "kiriree." In 



Autumn, " chit." 

 Chief Features. — This, the smallest British Tern, and the Roseate, 



are the two rarest nesting among us. 

 Plumage. — Orange-yellow beak, with black tip; orange legs and 



feet; black crown and nape; white forehead, and stripe over eye 



same colour; pearl-grey mantle; white tail and under parts. 



Length. — Eight inches. 



TERN, ROSEATE (Sterna dougalli) 

 Local Names. — Pease Crow, Pirate. 

 Haunt. — The sea and seashore. 

 Nesting Period. — May and June. 



