478 NATATORES. STERNA. TERN. 



\ 



Ornith. Diet, and Sup Bewick's Br. Birds, ed. 1826, p. t. 195. Flem. 



Br. Anim. 1. 144. No. 236. 

 Black Viralve, Shaw's Zool. 13. 167- pi. 19. 

 Stern, Rennie's Mont. Orn. Diet. 495. 

 Sterna nsevia, Linn. Syst. 1. 228. 5 Gmel. Syst. 1. 609 JBriss. Orn. 6. 



216. 6. t. 20. f. 2. 



Sterna Boysii, var. B. Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 806. sp. 10. 

 La Guifette, Buff. Ois. 8. 339 Id. PI. Enl. 924. 

 Die Gefleckte Meerschwalbe, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 4. 688. 

 Kamtschatkan Tern, Arct. ZooL 2. 525, A Lath. Syn. 6. 358. 9. var. A. 

 PROVINCIAL Clovenfoot Gull, Scarecrow, Car Swallow. 



Periodical THE Black Tern differs from the species already described 

 visitant. - n p re f err j n g the lakes and pools of the interior of the 

 country to the waters of the ocean, and in subsisting upon 

 Libellulce, and other aquatic insects, in preference to fish. 

 For these reasons, and from a slight difference of form in the 

 tail, which is rather less forked, Mr STEPHENS has separated 

 this and some other species, under the generic title of Vi- 

 ralva, from the Terns already described ; but as no marked 

 characters of distinction are displayed in those essential mem- 

 bers, the bill and legs ; and as the habits of the present (ex- 

 cept in the points above stated) are very similar to those of 

 the before described species, I have retained the whole under 

 the Linnean genus Sterna. Like the foregoing, the present 

 bird is migratory, being a regular summer visitant ; its arri- 

 val in the fenny parts of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, 

 and in the pools of Romney Marsh, in Kent, taking place 

 towards the end of April, or the beginning of May, and in- 

 Nest, &c. cubation commences soon afterwards. It breeds among 

 sedges or other aquatic herbage, making, according to MON- 

 TAGU, a nest of similar vegetable matter on a grassy tuft, just 

 above the surface of the water ; and TEMMINCK further 

 states that the site is frequently the expansive floating leaf of 

 the Water Lily (Nympli&a alba). The eggs, from two to 

 four in number, are of an oil-green colour, tinged with wood- 

 brown, and blotched all over with deep umber-brown, in 

 size one-third less than those of the Common and Arctic 

 Terns. The appearance of the Black Tern in this country 

 is principally confined to the districts above mentioned, and 



