92 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xv. 



Albino Starling in Merionethshire. — Mr. J.B.Watson 

 writes that he saw an albino Starhng [Sttirnus v. vulgaris) 

 amongst a flock at Harlech on July 29th, 1921. The bird 

 was apparently uniformly white. 



" Buzzards taking Food from Surface of Water."— 

 A correction. — We much regret that the note under the above 

 heading in the last issue {antea, p. 65) was founded upon an 

 error in identification. Mr. Cave wrote subsequently (but 

 too late for the note to be omitted) that he had found that the 

 birds observed were not Buzzards at all but Black Kites 

 {Milviis migrans). The habit described is a usual one in the 

 Black Kite. Sir Alfred Pease also writes suggesting the birds 

 were Kites. — Eds. 



LETTERS. 



STATUS OF ARCTIC TERNS IN LANCASHIRE AND 

 THE FARNES. 



To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sir, — In reply to Mr. H. B. Booth's letter, my authority for the 

 reason of the supposed decrease of Arctic Terns on the Fames is Mr. 

 Howard Saunders's statement in The Birds of Lancashire, 2nd edition, 

 p. 242, where it is written : — " There is no doubt that proportions 

 change, and Mr. Saunders says that in the Fame Islands, for instance, 

 the Common Tern is distinctly pressing back the Arctic, and in Brittany 

 also is driving away the Roseate " (Yarrell, British Birds, 4th edition, 

 III., p. 545). We are all aware that the nidification of all Terns 

 moves in cycles, some places being deserted, for no apparent reason, 

 for a varying term of years by one or more species. With regard to 

 some Arctics nesting on Walney in 1907-8, I cannot dispute your 

 correspondent's statement, as my visits there covered the period 

 1909-1913, during which years there certainly were no Arctics nesting 

 either there or at Ravenglass. With regard to south Lancashire, 

 Mr. F. W. Holder has already supported my statement, and I see no 

 reason to further enlarge upon it, except to say that Mr. Booth's 

 friends must have been seeing visions to find Arctics predominating 

 there in 1912. I cannot see what bearing your correspondent's visit 

 to the Scilly Isles in 19 12 has on south Lancashire Terns. I still 

 maintain that the Common Tern is the stronger and tries to drive 

 away the Arctic, having observed it not in one colony, but in several. 



I must remind Mr. Booth that my visits to many of these colonies 

 were not of the flying nature of one day or even part of a day as his 

 seem to have been, but extended over days and even weeks together, 

 during which time I was especially looking out for Arctic and Roseate 

 Terns. H. W. Robinson. 



That the proportion of Arctic and Common Terns varies from year 

 to year must be tolerably obvious to anyone who has visited a breeding 

 locality of both species regularly. In June 191 8 in the Fame Islands, 

 the Common Tern were breeding in considerable numbers together 

 with Arctic on the Knoxes, but the latter predominated. There was 

 also a colony on the Brownsman not nearly so large, and these appeared 

 to be all Arctic. ' F, C. R. Jourdain. 



