Birds. 9323 
‘For the sake of convenience, let us now compare observations, 
‘where differences appear: Mr. Harting’s are distinguished by inverted 
commas ; my own follow. 
Common Tern.—May 30, 1864. “ Birds actually disturbed from 
their eggs.” 
June 3, 1863. None seen on or near their eggs, 10—12 A. M. 
June 9, 1864. None seen on or near their eggs, 10 A. M.—2 P.M. 
As many of the nests contained the full complement of eggs, and some 
- were to a certainty more or less incubated, we can only suppose the 
birds were fishing at the above times. 
“No real nest; eggs laid in hollows of the bare ground.” 
1863. No nest; eggs found just above high-water mark on bank of 
pebbles; several not even in a hollow; some possibly displaced by 
advancing spring tides, or even removed by the bird itself from a lower 
inundated place of deposit. 
1864. But few eggs deposited on the bare pebbles, or even sand, 
and these invariably in hollows. Nine-tenths of the whole laid in 
hollows formed in the drift sea-weed. 
“Eggs in no instance laid owéside the sand-hills.” 
1863. In every instance outside (seaward) of the sand-hills. 
1864. Mostly outside the sand-hills. Some few in hollows nearly 
encompassed by sand-hillocks, but closely abutting on the beach. 
“Eggs very round.” 
1863. Eggs differing in shape, some oval as a pigeon’s, others round 
as any sparrowhawk’s. 
1864. Eggs oval, without exception, though five times more 
numerous than the previous year. 
* Called ‘ sparling.’ ” 
Probably the usual appellation here; but further south, rid to the 
Mersey, the bird is called a “ shrike,” from its peculiarly harsh ery. 
Lesser Tern.— Five or six birds seen; three nests.” 
1863-4. A few birds; no eggs found, or nestings distinguished from 
last-named species. 
Arctic Tern.—* Four nestings, all within the sand-hills.” 
1863-4. No certain nestings. My friend Mr. Alexander Cooke, who 
is well acquainted with the tern family, and has twice visited Walney, 
as well as the Fern Islands, during the breeding season, still strongly 
doubts either this or the following species breeding here: he regards the 
shooting of.a bird in mere prozimity to any nest by no means conclusive 
as to the parentage of the eggs, and that nothing short of capture upon 
the nest or eggs can be held conclusive, seeing that the eggs of the 
