The Distribution of Birds in Great Britain. 463 



STERNA MINUTA (Linn."]. Lesser Tern. 



Provinces II.-IV. VIII. IX.? X.-XII. XIV.-XVIII. 

 Subprovinces 6-8, 10, 11, 19, 21 ?, 22, 24, 25, 28, 30-32, 35, 37. 

 Lat. 50-60. " British " type, or general. 



Though not numerous as a species, the Lesser Tern breeds in a few 

 scattered localities from Sussex to Orkney. As Macgillivray remarks, 

 most of its breeding-stations are on the east side of Great Britain ; and 

 this is also the case with the other Terns, on account of the greater 

 prevalence on the east coast of the low sandy shores and islets which 

 these birds prefer for their nests. 



HYDROCHELIDON FISSIPES (G. R. Gray}. Black Tern. 



Provinces III. IV. [VIII.]. 



Subprovinces 7, (10), IT, (12), (19). 



Lat. 51-53. " Germanic " type. Not in Ireland ? 



This is one of the birds whose numbers have greatly diminished of 

 late years; for although Mr. Hewitson describes it as "abundant in 

 some parts of the counties of Cambridge and Lincoln," I believe that it 

 has nearly, if not entirely, ceased to breed in this country. 



A pair or two are considered still to nest occasionally in Kent and 

 Norfolk ; but I am assured by various correspondents that the Black 

 Tern has become altogether extinct in the counties of Suffolk, Cam- 

 bridge, Huntingdon, and Lincoln. 



LARUS RIDIBUNDUS (Linn.}. Black -headed Gull. 



Provinces III. IV. V ? VHI.-XVTII. 

 Subprovinces 7, 8, (10), 11, 15 ?, 19, 21, 22, 24-38. 

 Lat. 50-61. "Scottish" (or "British") type. 



A few breeding- stations occur in the south of England, in the 

 counties of Kent, Essex, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire ; but the localities 

 for the bird are much more numerous in the north. 



Plott mentions a locality in Staffordshire, but I do not know whether 

 the birds still frequent this county during the breeding-season. 



RISSA TRIDACTYLA (Macgill.}. Kittiwake. 



Provinces I. II. ? X.-XVHI. 

 Subprovinces 1-3, 4?, 22, 24, 25, 27-38. 

 Lat. 50-61. " Scottish " type, or Northern. 



On the south coast, the Kittiwake has been stated to breed in 

 Dorsetshire ; but I have been unable to obtain any confirmation of this 

 assertion. It is certainly not found in the Isle of Wight during the 

 nesting-season. 



Mr. Rodd tells me that the Kittiwake breeds occasionally in Corn- 

 wall ; the Rev. M. A. Mathews finds the nest in North Devonshire ; 



