LARID^. 151 



1866, five Terns were seen by Mr. Briggs, of Cook- 

 ham, flying about the river Thames, near Woburn, 

 and two of these were shot, and are now in the col- 

 lection of Mr^R. B. Sharpe. They proved to be a male 

 and female of the Black Tern, and the ovary of the 

 latter contained minute eggs. Mr. Gould happened 

 to be on the river, near Maidenhead, the same after- 

 noon, and killed the three remaining birds ; which, as 

 he told me, were curiously enough, all of different 

 species, the Common, Arctic, and Black Terns. These 

 are now in the possession of Mr. Grefell, of Taplow 

 Court, to whom Mr. Gould presented them. 



Black-headed Gull {Lams ridibwidns). A 

 bird of this species in the fully adult plumage, is surely 

 one of the prettiest of the Laridce. For the last four 

 years I have observed small parties of them on the 

 Thames in spring, and a few are again observed in 

 autumn, on their return from their breeding grounds. 

 I have seen several preserved specimens which had 

 been shot in both counties. This Gull, more than any 

 others of the genus, appears to prefer the neighbour- 

 hood of fresh water. The Rev. Bryant Burgess wrote me 

 word that the Black-headed Gull had been taken near 

 Chesham, in summer plumage. It has also occurred 

 on the reservoirs near Drayton Beauchamp, and in a 

 few other places where an abundance of water offered 

 a tempting resting-place. 



KiTTlWAKE Gull {Lams tridactyliis). In Buck- 

 inghamshire and Berkshire the Kittiwake is not a 



