VOL, XIV J 



NOTES. 



281 



AxxiE C. Jackson. 

 STATUS OF ARCTIC TERN IN LANCASHIRE. 



For some years, in the north-west of England, the Arctic 

 Tern {Sterna paradiscea) has been missing, but is now, I am 

 glad to say, returning. Mr. Howard Saunders, visiting the 

 colonies on Walney Island, north Lanes., and Ravenglass, 

 Cumberland, in 1865, then found this species and the Common 

 rern [S. hirnndo) in about equal numbers, with possibly a 

 preponderance of Arctic on Walney. About 1875, Mr. H. 

 Durnford found the Common Tern the more plentiful on 

 Walney, more than 7^5 per cent, belonging to that species. 

 Revisiting these colonies in 1885 Mr. Howard Saunders failed 

 to see a single x\rctic Tern, the Common species having driven 

 them away, as it had alreadj^ done on the Fame Islands. 

 L'P to 1917 there was no sign of its return, but in 1918, Mr. 

 T. \. Coward found some nesting in a south Lancashire 

 colony, where in 1919 Mr. F. W. Holder found that, of those 

 he marked with rings, just over 8 per cent, were Arctic. 

 During the past summer of 1920 I spent over a month in 

 this colony, and found of those marked with rings, that no 

 fewer than 14.6 per cent, were Arctics. During the early 

 part of the season they had to fight hard with the Common 

 Terns to maintain their position and many battles royal 

 breast to breast in mid-air, were witnessed between the two 

 rival species, a certain proportion holding their ground, as 

 shown by this percentage. In the Isle of Man the Arctic ha» 

 either not been bothered by Common Terns at all or has been 

 able to hold its ground against them, for it predominates, at 

 any rate at the north end and of recent years. This driving 

 away of Arctics by the more robust Common Terns is curious, 

 for the Arctic is very much the more savage of the two as 

 far as human intruders are concerned. H. W. Robinson. 



Incursion of Waxwings.— In addition to those previously 

 recorded {antea, p. 261) Mr. E. Arnold W'alHs reports, that 



