245 



ROSEATE TERN. 



Sterna dougalli, Montagu. 



The Roseate Tern was found breeding on the island of 

 Fouhiey in 1840 by Mr. John Hancock, who writes me 

 that, to the best of his recollection, it and the Common 

 Tern were about equal in numbers there. His visit was 

 paid on the 27th July, but the place had been so harried 

 that year, that the birds had had to lay second or third 

 clutches, and six eggs he found were just hatching, the 

 young from one, indeed, making its appearance whilst 

 he was watching the old bird. Since then the species 

 has become rarer and rarer, and is now probably extinct 

 there. Mr. J. E. Harting, who visited the locality on 

 May 30, 1864 (ZooL, 1864) saw several birds, but did 

 not shoot any, and Mr. Howard Saunders, who went 

 specially for the Roseate Tern, early in June, 1865, only 

 saw one pair. He writes {ZooL, ss. pp. 181-2) that 

 whilst traversing the isle of Walney " suddenly a harsh 

 ' crake ' caught my ear, and there, above our heads, 

 easily distinguishable by their more slender form, bathed 

 in an indescribable pink glow, hovered a pair of veritable 

 Roseate Terns. I gazed at these objects of my search 

 until my eyes ached, but they mounted higher and 

 higher, and amongst the score of nests in the space of 

 half an acre round us, it was useless to attempt to 

 identify their eggs, and I may as well say at once that 

 this was the only time I was able to distinguish this 

 species with perfect certainty on Walney." I have not 

 heard of any occurrence since Mr. W. A. Durnford wrote 

 {ZooL, 1876) that a pair had been shot at Biggar, on 

 Walney, in 1874, and stuffed by a l)lacksmith in Barrow, 

 who described them as " Rose-breasted Sparlings." 



