400 LARID.E. 



has only occasionally a small portion of black colour at the 

 tip, most frequently without any black, all the rest coral-red. 

 The legs are remarkable in having very short tarsal bones, 

 Avhicli are characteristic of this species at all ages, and the 

 plumage of the under surface of the body in the adult bird 

 is of French grey, as dark as that of the back and wings ; 

 the same part in the Common Tern is white, and in the 

 Roseate Tern the white is tinged with a rosy hue as already 

 described. 



The Arctic Tern, thus distinguished was soon found to be 

 even more numerous than the Common Tern, particularly in 

 high northern latitudes, and it was seen in quantities by onr 

 Arctic voyagers, as references to the details of the natural 

 history productions of these different expeditions will show. 

 It was found breeding on Melville Peninsula, and on the 

 islands and beaches of the Arctic Sea. It was abundant in 

 various parts of Greenland. Breeds in Iceland, and the 

 Tern found at the Faroe Islands, and named by M. Graba, 

 Sterna brachj/tarsa, is probably the Arctic Tern. It breeds 

 also in Norway, Lapland, Sweden, and Holstein. ISIr. Dunn 

 says, " This Tern is plentiful in the summer both in Orkney 

 and Shetland. It makes its nest on the gravelly beach, and 

 low rocks, and sometimes amongst the short dry grass on the 

 tops of low cliffs, always in exposed situations. The female 

 lays three or four eggs. This bird is seldom seen but on the 

 wing, in pursuit of the small coal-fish which abound in the 

 harbours and inlets of these countries. It darts down upon 

 them with great rapidity as they swim on the surface of the 

 water. It is the only species of Tern I have met with 

 amongst these islands.*" In the outer Hebrides, according 

 to Mr. John Macgillivray, " the Common Tern is found as 

 well as the Arctic, but the latter is much the more plentiful 

 of the two. On several of the smaller and less frequented 

 islands nuxny hundreds of their eggs were taken in a few 



