54 BRITISH BIRDS 
Eggs. Usually 2. Greyish to deep buff, spotted and blotched 
with shades of brown and underlying ash or brown. Av. size, 
si ‘ 1-42 in. Laying begins in the first half of May. One 
rood. 
106. Common-tern [Sterna hirundo Linneus; Sterna 
fluviatilis Naumann]. Summer visitor, and found breeding 
usually on the sea-coast in the British Isles. 
Bird. Length 144in. See Sandwich-tern. Easily confused 
ip the Arctic-tern, which 
tis Pg it closely resembles. Both 
Z | y Yih Yj 7 have the upper-part of the 
Fish head and nape black, the 
; rest of the pinmage mostly 
ee j eg EI, a silvery-grey, the white 
net rump, throat, and upper 
and under-tail coverts ex- 
cepted; legs red. They 
may be distinguished most 
surely by the _ relative 
breadth of the dark inner 
GYLHE WIL band onthe outer primaries 
A dite fe YG and the poloeane of the 
"  %. — pill, which is blood-red to 
oe LE EE the tip in the Arctic and 
eg z in the common-tern, coral 
red on the basal two-thirds, 
dusky on the third from 
the tip. The Arctic form 
Fig. 66. Common-tern’s primary. hasshorterlegs. Therare 
roseate-terndiffersfrom both 
in having the breast rosy tinted, the beak black, the tail longer, 
the inner webs of the primaries all white. In autumn all three 
species have white on the crown and are paler on the under- 
parts. Fledglings may be easily recognised by their bufi- 
coloured markings. 
Nest. Place: shingle bed, sand with or without vegetation, 
turf, bare rock, usually near the sea in the British Isles. The 
nest-scrape may be either unlined or lined with dry grass and 
other vegetable matter picked up near by, also pebbles, shells, 
and sometimes rabbit bones. Species breeds in colonies. 
Eggs. More often 3 than 2. Dull greyish, cream or deep 
buff, blotched and spotted with shades of brown and ash. 
Rare varieties with blue and red grounds. Av. size, 1-61 x 
1:19 in. Laying begins end of May to early June. One brood. 
107. Arctic-tern [Sterna paradisea Brimnich; Sterna 
macrura Naumann]. Summer visitor to our coasts and generally 
, ras ta L 
: Y. ig ALP 
Fig. 65. Arctic-tern’s primary. 
