392 Lieut. C. B. Ticehurst on the [Ibis, 



fro along the tide's edge, but they appear to fish more out 

 at sea than the other Terns. Daalder informed me that in 

 190(5 this species bred, after a hipse of fifty years, on tlu^ 

 Polder het Noorden, where I examined the old nests on 

 a promontory of dried mud covered with rough grass. 

 " Breeds also on Rottum and one or two sand-banks in the 

 Dutch Friesian group" (L.J.). 



Common Tern. 



Very numerous along the tide, in the channels and in 

 the polders, where, at the end of August, some nestlings 

 were still unable to fly. I found a young one in that 

 state because of a disease of the growing quills of the 

 flight-feathers, exactly similar to that in Wood-Pigeons. 

 By IG September all had a[)parently left, at which time 

 Sandwich Terns were still cpiite numerous. " Breeds in 

 numbers " (all authors) " as well as on the other Dutch 

 islands" (L.J.). 



Arctic Tern. 



Athough particularly searched for during both visits to 

 Texel, I could not satisfy myself that I saw this sj)ecie8. 

 According to licege-Juist, there were only three records of 

 it on the Dutch coast up to 189G, in which year, however, 

 Snouckaert van Schauburg established the fact that it was 

 nesting on Texel among the (Common Terns and that it 

 constantly lays but two eggs. Both Daalder and Tra|>p 

 assured me that it was common, and that its note was 

 different from that of the Common Tern ; however, a bird, 

 whose note was ditferent from that of the adult Common Tern, 

 and which was pointed out to me as being an Arctic Tern, 

 turned out to be a young Common Tern, on being shot. 

 Mr. Charles Pearson assures me he saw both species at the 

 breeding-place during his visit. 



Little Tern. 



Connnon in August ; fewer in September, all had gone 

 by the 24th. This species fed in the dykes in the polders, 

 and closely followed up the tide as it crept up the channels 



