570 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
the bill is darkish horn at the point, reddish at the 
base: the forehead and top of the head white, inter- 
spersed with black; back of the head to and round 
the eye, and the back of the neck, black; back, 
scapulars and tertials gull-grey, each feather mar- 
eined with pale brown and white; rump and upper 
tail-coverts gull-grey; wing-coverts guil-grey, mar- 
eined with white; the small feathers above the lesser 
wing-coverts from the point of the wing to the body 
are black, very slightly margined with white ;* the 
first primary is dark dusky on the outer and part of 
the inner web; the rest of the inner web is white, as 
is the shaft; the rest of the primary quills are dusky 
grey, margined on the inner web, and in the shorter 
ones nearest the secondaries on the point also, with 
white; the secondaries are gull-grey, but a darker 
shade than the wing-coverts, and are tipped with 
white; the tail is forked, the feathers dusky grey on 
the outer web, but this colour grows paler on the 
more central feathers, and paler, very nearly white, 
* Yarrell does not mention this peculiarity, but in six 
specimens of the Common Tern which I have lately been 
able to examine,—all killed about the middle of October,— 
it is very conspicuous; and in one specimen, killed at the 
same time of year,—which, from the short tarsus, I have no 
doubt is a young Arctic Tern,—there is no dark line on the 
shoulder. I have not been able to examine specimens 
enough of the two species to be quite sure of this being 
a constant distinction, but I think it worth mentioning. 
