The Zoologist — July, 1873. 3605 



male, flies to the neighbourhood of her nest, and after circling once 

 or twice in the air over the spot, to see whether the coast is clear, 

 flies straight into the hole without alighting on or touching the 

 ground; and the mallard, after performing one or two more circles, 

 flies off to his breeding quarters on the extensive sandy flats of 

 Walney. 



Dunlin, Sanderling and Turnstone. — On the west coast I ob- 

 served an enormous flock of dunlins. I suspect birds of the previous 

 year do not breed, as there are dunlins on the Crosby shore, more 

 or less, every month in the year. Sanderlings were frequently seen 

 in small parties ; and I noticed one small flock of turnstones, 

 numbering about eight birds, and one pair vi^hich were so tame 

 that I thought they must have a nest in the neighbourhood, though 

 there was no likely place for it. 



Sandwich Tern. — These birds, like the preceding, nested much 

 earlier than usual this year: on my visit in May I found the young 

 had flown and left the neighbourhood with their parents, whilst in 

 1864 they were still incubating at that time. There were only four 

 pairs this year, whilst Mr. Harling found seventeen pairs nine years 

 ago; and this is the more unaccountable as they are preserved, if 

 possible, more closely than the gulls. The son of the proprietor 

 was kind enough to give me two eggs, taken this season : they are 

 of a beautiful light gray ground colour, speckled with dark gray, 

 brown and black, a good deal larger than the eggs of the common 

 and arctic terns, nearly approaching in size some small eggs of the 

 blackheaded gull ; the markings and measurements are also smaller 

 than those of the other terns' eggs. 



Common Tern. — The most numerous species of tern on the 

 island. I saw about fifty pairs at the north and south ends ; they 

 were, however, only just commencing to lay, which they do on the 

 sand-hills. I was told they used to lay on the shore, but since 

 their nests have been so much robbed they have taken to lay inside 

 the 'sand-hills. I took six eggs of this bird : they made no nest, 

 but deposited their eggs in a slight cavity in the bare sand. 



Arctic Tern. — These birds, like S. Hirundo, had only just com- 

 menced to lay, and I did not find a single nest, though I received 

 two eggs, taken two days before, which I believe belong to this 

 species. I observed about t-en pairs at the north and south ends 

 of the island, but unless you are pretty close to them it is impossible 

 to distinguish them from the common tern. 



SECOND SEEIES — VOL. VIII. 2 M 



