50 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
70. Common Tern. 
Sterna hirundo LINN. 1758. 
This is truly the ‘‘ Common Tern,” as it breeds abundantly from 
the coasts of Labrador southward to the Grand Manan, N.B., on 
all islands and coasts of Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia 
and New Brunswick. It is also common in the Gulf of St. Law- 
rence, breeding on the Magdalens, Anticosti and Prince Edward 
Island. Ascending the St. Lawrence, it nests on the Thousand 
Islands, where its nest was found by Rev. C. J. Young, in June, 
1895. Stragglers are found throughout Ontario, and Saunders 
and Morden report that this species breeds at St. Clair Flats. 
A summer resident in Manitoba and breeding. It is common 
on all the large lakes of Assiniboia and breeds in suitable places. 
A few breed near Indian Head, but the greatest numbers were 
found at Crane Lake, about 100 miles east of Medicine Hat ; it 
was also seen in 1895 at Cypress Lake and southwestward to 
Waterton Lake near Chief Mountain, and north to Lac Ste. Anne, 
Alberta. 
One specimen taken at Cowichan Gap, September 15th, 1806, 
by R. D. McClure, Sidney, Vancouver Island. (/annin.) 
BREEDING Notes.—Breeding extensively on the shores of the 
Arctic Sea as well as on islets in many of the inland lakes of the 
forest region and “ Barrens.” (Macfarlane.) Breeding in large 
numbers on a small island in Crane Lake, Assiniboia, June 
gth-20th, 1894. Nest, a shallow hole in the ground lined with dry 
grass. Of the hundreds of nests that I saw each contained three 
eggs, except two, and they had four. A number of the young 
were hatched by June 20th. A few were found breeding by Deep 
Lake, Indian Head, Assa., June 3rd, 1892. Common from Moose 
Factory to Richmond Gulf, Hudson Bay ; breeding in June, 1806. 
(Spreadborough.) 
On June 18th, 1894, on an island in Shoal Lake Manitoba, | 
found thousands of this Tern breeding ; their nests were hollows 
in the sand, lined with bits of drift-weed and contained three 
eggs each. I found it breeding under like conditions on many of 
the lakes of Assiniboia in June 1891 and 1893. (Razne.) 
This species was formerly very plentiful in the River St. 
Lawrence from Kingston eastward. Numbers bred on Salmon 
