9164 Birds. 
any of them. I had read that this species was to be found on Foulney 
Island, nearly two miles distant from the south-eastern extremity of 
Walney, and therefore I thought it not impossible that a few pairs 
might be found on Walney, aud perhaps breeding there. Never having 
taken a nest of the roseate tern myself, and only knowing the egg from 
specimens in the collections of different friends, and a sivgle egg in wy 
own collection from the Fern Isles, I was uncertain in what situation, 
to look for the nest, and moreover was ignorant whether the roseate 
made a nest like the Sandwich tern, or simply laid the eggs on the 
bare ground, like the common and arctic terns. However, not far 
from the spot where 1 had seen, as I believe, three roseate terns, 
I found a nest, evidently that of a tern, from the eggs, but so different 
from any that I had hitherto found, that I exclaimed at once, “ This 
‘must be a roseate tern’s.” 
The Sandwich tern, as I have before observed, makes a nest of dry 
grass; the common and arctic terns lay in a hollow on the sand (in no 
instance did I find any deviation from this); but the nest in question 
was cownposed of sticks, little pieces of drift-wood and dry straws, and 
contained two eggs, which, as regards shape and colour, certainly 
resembled the eggs which [ have seen of the roseate tern. No bird 
was near the nest, and therefore, failing to identify the eggs by this 
means, I am anxious to ascertain, first, whether the common and arctic 
terns invariably lay on the ground without any nest, and, secondly, 
whether the roseate tern makes a nest such as I have described. 
I shall be obliged by the experience of any other correspondent. In 
the event of these two queries being answered in the affirmative, and 
having seen roseate terns on the island, I think I may safely conclude 
that the nest belonged to a pair of these birds. 
To mention all the eggs | took would in many cases be a repetition. 
Suffice it to say that as we proceeded we continued to find eggs of the 
oystercatcher, ringed plover aud common tern; and I may observe 
that in one instance only did I find any deviation from the rule that 
these three species lay in the hollow of the bare ground: this was in 
the case of an oystercatcher, where I found a very pretty nest formed 
of shells, most of them broken, and evidently collected from a distance, 
as there were no other shells anywhere near the nest. 
On the cultivated portions of the island I noticed several peewits, 
but found no eggs. Indeed I did not care to lose time by searching 
for them, as I find plenty every year at home. 
I was rather surprised to hear a cuckoo on the sand-hills: 1 suppose 
it had flown there to drop an egg in the nest of a meadow or rock 
