SANDWICH TEEN 383 



abdomen, white ; back, scapulars, and wings, ' pearl ' grey ; 

 tips of primaries, frosted on a dark ground-colour ; tail, 

 greyish-white, and slightly forked. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male plumage. 



Adult winter, male and female. Top of head streaked 

 with black and white ; dark greyish-black patch behind the 

 ear-coverts. 



Immature, male and female. Top and front of head, 

 whitish ; back, scapulars, wings, and tail, marked with ash- 

 brown ; primaries, ash-grey. 



BEAK. Vermilion-red. 



FEET. Black. 



IEIDES. Dark brownish-black. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH 20 in. Female smaller. 



WING 16-5 



BEAK 3'3 ,, 



TARSO-METATARSUS ... 1'6 ,, 



EGG 2*5 x T7 in. 



SANDWICH TERN. Sterna cantiaca (J. F. Gmelin). 



Coloured Figures. Gould, ' Birds of Great Britain,' vol. v, pi. 

 69 ; Dresser, ' Birds of Europe,' vol. viii, pi. 586 ; Lilford, 

 ' Coloured Figures,' vol. vi, pi. 6. Booth, ' Bough Notes,' 

 vol. iii, pi. 32. 



This fine bird, so named, because it was first observed 

 frequenting the vicinity of Sandwich on the coast of Kent 

 in 1784, is an annual spring-visitor to the British Isles. 

 It arrives comparatively early, appearing in some localities 

 before April, migrating southward early in autumn. 



Though found in widely distributed colonies, this 

 species is far from being plentiful. It breeds in most of 

 the southern and eastern counties of England, also in 

 Cumberland, and on Walney Island off the coast of Lanca- 

 shire. Colonies, moreover, exist along various points of 

 the Scottish sea-board, especially on the east side, and in 

 1893, it was discovered breeding in one of the Orkneys. 



