230 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



shot by the person who discovered them ; the other two, 

 on the death of their companion, immediately took to 

 flight, and were not seen again. 



Several members of the graceful family of the terns 

 have frequently been noticed in our neighbourhood. A 

 pair of the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) visited our 

 village on August 12th, 1857, and were flying up and 

 down the stream, as if hawking for insects, at times 

 skimming close to the water, and then rising again with 

 all that elegant ease of motion and command of wing 

 for which they are noted. But alas ! their visit was cut 

 short by the miller who lived close by, who shot one of 

 them, which proved to be a male, and the other, which 

 doubtless was its mate, was not seen again. 



The Lesser Tern (S. minuta) has been seen several 

 times on Thoresby Lake, arid once or twice the Black 

 Tern (S. nigra) has been in company. One of the 

 latter species was shot out of a flock which was seen on 

 the Trent, near Nottingham, in June, 1851 ; and, 

 singularly enough, several made their appearance at the 

 little village of Wilford, on the Trent (the scene of my 

 schoolboy days), during a severe snowstorm in January, 

 1854 



I have noted four species of gulls which have been 

 seen at various times and in various parts of our district, 

 some of them occurring not unfrequently. 



A Black -headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) was shot 

 by a boy at the village of Boughton, two miles from 

 Ollerton, on June 2nd, 1 854, and was brought to me. 

 It was a male in nearly mature plumage, the dark brown 

 on the head and upper part of the neck being quite per- 

 fect, but the scapulars and wing coverts retained some 

 slight mottling of brown, and the tail its dusky tips, 



