2 BRITISH BIRDS WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



appearing down all the west coast to the Cape, and round on the eastern side as far as 

 Natal. On the American coast it occurs off southern Massachusetts, but breeds only 

 south of Florida, then wintering still further south, through the Gulf of Mexico 

 (ranging across to Gtiatemala on the western side) to Brazil. 



The Sandwich Tern arrives on our shores early in the season from its winter 

 retreat (in Northern Africa probably) generally between the middle of April and the 

 middle of May, occasionally a few individuals have been seen as early as mid-March. 

 According to Mr. Seebohm it arrives at the Fame Islands about the middle of 

 April, " to reconnoitre its breeding grounds ; every morning the birds pay an 

 early visit to the islands, before they disappear to fish ; as the time when they 

 begin to lay approaches, they lengthen their stay, until about a month after their 

 arrival they have finally decided on a site for the colony, when they take up their 

 permanent abode on the islands for the season." They arrive in almost their full 

 breeding attire. There being no distinction between the plumage of the two sexes, 

 both have the feathers of the crown pointed and elongated into a crest ; the tail 

 its outer feathers about if inch longer than the rest shorter than the wings 

 and the hind toe very small. The forehead, from the nostrils to the level of the 

 lower edge of the eye, over the top of the head to the nape of the neck black ; 

 general colour of the upper side dark pearl-grey ; but the sides of the face below 

 the eyes, the sides of the neck, the tips of the scapulars, and the bend of the 

 wing, the upper tail-coverts and the tail, with the under side (including the under 

 wing-coverts and the axillaries) pure white ; the under parts during life present a 

 slightly roseate hue, vanishing at death ; the primaries (which are assumed freshly 

 in March) darker, the margins of their inner webs with conspicuous white borders 

 (which become worn off by May) ; the four outer quills " with white shafts, 

 accompanied by a blackish band along its inner aspect to the end of the feathers, 

 the rest of the inner webs white ; inner primaries and secondaries white, with 

 more or less grey on the outer webs " (Sharpe) ; bill black, tipped with yellow ; 

 legs and feet black. Total length 16 inches; wing 12; tail 5f ; the leg (which 

 is short) is I T V inch, and the middle toe with its claw i,v inch. 



The Sandwich Terns, which are somewhat smaller and feebler than the 

 Caspian Terns, begin to nest about the end of May ; and being true Sea-Terns 

 their breeding places are usually marine, though they have been known to breed 

 in inland lochs even far from the sea. It can scarcely be said that they make a 

 nest, for their eggs are deposited on the bare sand in slight hollows on some flat 

 sandy or stony terrace, with or without vegetation ; sometimes the nest may be made 

 on a drift heap or in a clump of Campion. Their " nests," as Mr. Seebohm 

 has observed, are " in diameter and depth of the dimensions of a cheese plate, and 



