30.2 Prof. E. Lonuberg on Sterna hirundo Linn. 



The expression " Habitat ubique ad laciis & stagna " 

 {i. e. iu Sweden) only fits in with the Common Tern, 

 especially i£ some little stress is laid on " ubique/^ as, 

 of course, should be done. The Arctic Tern in this country 

 is chiefly a coast bird, breeding in our Baltic archipelago ; 

 it may be found on freshwater lakes occasionally, but this 

 is chiefly in the northernmost parts of the country. The 

 Common Tern is really the common one, " ad lacus & 

 stagna," in Sweden. 



The subsequent longer description does not appear to 

 give much evidence, as most of it can be applied to both 

 forms. When, however, it is said '' rectricibus utrinque 

 duabus extimis exteriore margine fuscis ....," this suits 

 the Common Tern better than the Arctic. It is chiefly the 

 description of the bill, " Rostrum .... rectum, coccineum 

 uti & pedes," which has by some authors been regarded as 

 a proof that Linnseus by this really meant the Arctic Tern, 

 because he does not mention the blackish tip characteristic 

 of the Common Tern. Even some Swedish ornithologists, 

 as, for instance, the late Professor Sven Nilsson, have favoured 

 such an opinion. It is, however, very possible that it is due 

 to an omission that Linnseus did not mention the black tip. 

 He meant, perhaps, that this was of little importance, and 

 the by far greater part of the bill was really red, and that 

 appeared to him the main thing. Linnaeus always tried to 

 be concise, and therefore often omitted more important 

 characteristics than this. 



Fortunately I am able to give rather conclusive evidence, 

 by means of an analogy, iu this case from Linuseus^s own 

 hand. 



In the library of the Royal University, Upsala, is a Linnean 

 manuscript with the title " Methodus Avium Sveticarum," 

 which was published by the present writer in 1907. This 

 manuscript is of a certain value, because it is in the shape 

 of a small book, and it is quite evident that Linnaeus carried 

 it with him in his pocket during his travels to different parts 

 of Sweden and wrote in it notes on birds which were ob- 

 served by him. Now in this book (p. 39 of the printed 



