1895] MARYLAND ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 253 



On July 4, 1880, Mr. Robert Ridgway saw an immense colony 

 there (B. N. O. C, v, 221-22-23), and "Captain Crmnb has 

 found eggs in the latter part of June " (Birds Vas., 42). 

 "Rare straggler on the New Jersey coast during summer" 

 (Birds E. Pa. and N. J., 45). 



Sterna forsteri (69). Forster's Tern. 



"It is the commonest tern in winter and during the migra- 

 tions in the harbor of Baltimore" (Birds N. W., 679). On 

 March 4, 1893, during a severe snow storm, I saw several 

 terns flying over the channel off Sparrow's Point, which I be- 

 lieve were of this species, but they did not come close enough 

 to be positively identified. 



They have been taken near Washington, D. C, and have 

 been found quite abundant over the lower Potomac by Mr. P. 

 L. Jouy (Field and Forrest, vii, 29). 



On the evening of June 5, 1894, at North Beach, about ten 

 miles south of Ocean City, Md., I saw some boys who had 

 gathered about 200 " Striker " eggs, and were proceeding to 

 cook same for their supper ; they had also shot a number of birds 

 which, on examination, I found to be all Forster's Terns. Next 

 day, June 6, 1894, I visited a marshy island with probably 2000 

 terns over it, and as far as I could observe all were forsteri. 

 Here I noted 12 nests with 3 eggs, 19 with 2 and 41 with 1 ; 

 how many without eggs 'I am unable to say. 



On June 7 I visited two other much smaller "tumps" about 

 three miles distant ; about 200 birds here, on one there were 7 

 nests with 1 egg each, and on the other 7 with 1, and 1 with 2; 

 this was evidently where the boys had been, as innumerable nests 

 were empty. On June 10 I again visited all three of these 

 "tumps" and on the larger one noted 7 nests with 3 eggs, 7 with 

 2, and IQ with 1, the number of unoccupied nests being greater 

 than before. On the smaller "tumps" I saw respectively 

 1 of 2, and 6 of 1 ; and 3 of 2 and 4 of 1 ; and more unoc- 

 cupied nests. Here the birds were much fewer than before, 

 while at the largest "tump" there appeared to be more than 



