VOL. XIV.] IRISH NOTES ON TERNS. 255 



the first instance here of a bird of this species choosing such 

 a site. Other Roseates careering around had not yet begun 

 to nest, for the majority are late breeders in this locahty. 

 Previous experience and rough weather deterred me. from 

 crossing in 1919 until June 15th. The Sandwich Terns had 

 decidedly increased in numbers and extended their range. 

 There were roughly one hundred and fifty nests with eggs in 

 four groups, no young being then out. Some few Roseates 

 were present and, although no eggs were found, a pair or 

 two may have laid. The other three species were less nume- 

 rous than usual, and I was unable to visit the place again 

 that 5^ear. 



In 1920 a totally different state of affairs existed. With 

 the exception of a very few ordinary Terns, no birds were 

 frequenting the favourite sandbank at the end of May and 

 in a walk along the shore onh^ a solitary Sandwich Tern 

 passed me. On rowing out to the island little bird-life was 

 xdsible, and none of that beating to and fro over their fishing 

 grounds, so characteristic of former years. An ominous 

 silence brooded over the island, and what is so depressing as 

 a deathly stillness where hitherto the turmoil and babel of 

 a multitude of Terns has reigned ? However, although 

 practically no Terns of any kind were there — a Sandwich or 

 two did fly over, very high up and quite disinterestedly — 

 it was not long before I found twenty nests of Sandwich Terns 

 containing one egg each, and one nest with two eggs. They 

 had the " bloom " of freshly laid eggs, so I thought that 

 possibly the females had gone fishing and would return to 

 complete their clutches, although this would be contrary to 

 their usual procedure of starting to incubate immediately 

 the first egg is produced. 



Two days later things were in the same state ; half a dozen 

 birds passed over without showing any inclination to alight, 

 but there was still hope that they would return to the nests 

 and that the main body, wherever they were, would yet arrive. 



The end of the first week in June brought no change, except 

 that a flock of Herring-Gulls (L. a. argentatus) which arose 

 with lamentations at my arrival, had quite recently sucked 

 a large proportion of the eggs. All the Terns were absent, 

 but a few Little and Common Terns were breeding on the 

 shore of the mainland. 



My boatman had seen them arriving as usual earlier in 

 the year, and the fishermen were then meeting with flocks 

 out at sea. I suggest, therefore, as an explanation that the 

 food supply had locally failed and that all the Terns had 



