554 LARID^. 



the inner webs of the primaries. This line is both darker 

 and much more extensive in the Common Tern. 



As regards the British Islands, the Arctic Tern is the only 

 species found breeding in the Shetlands, and it is by far 

 the most abundant in the Orkneys, the Hebrides, and on the 

 entire coast of Scotland. In England it breeds in numbers 

 on the Fame Islands, and sparingly on the coast near the 

 mouth of the Humber, south of which it has not yet been 

 proved to nest on the east side of the island, nor along the 

 shingley coast of Kent and Sussex where the Common Tern 

 occurs. Mr. Cecil Smith, however, states (Zool. 1883, 

 p. 454) that he found it breeding on the Chesil beach in 

 Dorsetshire. On the west side it breeds on the shores of 

 Cumberland, on Walney Island in Lancashire, and probably 

 on the Skerries and some other islands belonging to Wales ; 

 and Mr. Rodd states that it is far more abundant in the 

 Scilly Islands than the Common Teru. In Ireland it has 

 many breeding stations, from the Copelands, off Belfast, to 

 the myriad islets of Oalway and Kerry, and there are prob- 

 ably some on the eastern side of the island. 



It arrives early in May, and the majority pass southwards 

 in September and October, a few remaining till the end of 

 that month. Owing to the numbers which breed in high 

 northern latitudes, this species is by far the most abundant 

 on the autumn migration, and, in a less degree, in spring. 

 A most unusual number of this and the Common Tern made 

 their appearance early in the month of May of the year 1842, 

 in and about the estuary of the Severn, and up the line of 

 its course ; also at Swansea, Monmouth, Worcester, and 

 many inland places. According to the * Bristol Mirror,' 

 the birds were assembled in such vast numbers in the 

 hai'bour and floating docks of that city, that two or three 

 hundred were killed with stones and other missiles, whilst 

 several were caught alive ; and so tame were they, that 

 many were observed to pitch on the backs of passers-by. 

 Flocks of these birds were also observed the same day on 

 the Channel coast ; and a little later similar numbers were 

 noticed on the coast of Ireland from Cork to Limerick. The 



t 



