74 Backhouse ¢ Notes on the Sandwich Tern. 
These may be looked upon as an: of the chief types to be 
met with on the Farnes, and it may here be noted that the 
darkest type is by far the rarest. All the figured specimens 
were taken from the Knoxes colony at various times by the 
Writer, and have been specially selected. Photography cannot, 
of course, do justice to any of the three, so much character and 
beauty being lost through absence of colour, but with the 
advent of another century one trusts that colour photograph- 
ing may be rendered more possible. Egg No. 2 especially 
needs to be seen to be appreciated, but it may help to convey 
a more exact idea of the colouration when described as closely 
resembling in main characteristics the egg of a Red Grouse. 
No. 1 is very black and white in appearance, and was found 
laid side by side with an egg of the Arctic Tern in the same nest. 
The watchers report that this habit of house sharing or ‘ taking 
a lodger,’ as we should term it, is by no means frequent. 
Although seen during April, Mr. Darling—the head watcher 
—says that these birds do not settle on the Islands before May. 
Then they remain for an hour or so during the morning, taking 
to wing again for the rest of the day, and finally begin to lay 
n or about the 15th of the month. Incubation, it appears, 
lasts for a little over three weeks. By the end of August, all 
the Sandwich Terns, both old and young, have left the Islands. 
This species is a regular visitor to Yorkshire, especially during 
the autumn months, on its treks South to winter quarters on the 
coasts of India and Afric ag 
Naturalist, ‘. 
