282 



LAllID^. 



of the roseate species) ;"^ and have been also, at Pevensey Shingle, 

 Sussex. t Mr. Yarrell notices several localities on the south-west, 

 south, and south-east (or rather the more southern portion of the 

 east) of England as frequented by this species, but without stating 

 whether or not it breeds at them. Unless the precise season be 

 mentioned, we cannot properly infer from the tern's presence at 

 a locality that it breeds there, for it appears at many places on its 

 vernal and autumnal migration near to which it never nidifies. 

 Positive information is much wanted respecting the breeding- 

 places of the several species of tern on the British coasts, &c. 



In Ireland, the common tern justifies its name, and is more 

 generally diffused than the arctic (although this bird is more 

 numerous in certain localities), and greatly more so than the 

 roseate species. Under the last, it will be found noticed at the 

 Mew Island ; at other parts of the 



Down Coast 



it breeds, as on several of the low rocky and gravelly islets of 

 Strangford Lough. On visiting a number of these on the 

 20th and 21st June, 1832, the following note was made on the 

 latter day : — Exclusive of Sterna mimita, of which two pair were 

 seen on different islets (where no other terns appeared, nor were 

 any of their nests found), we did not see more than about ten 

 terns all day, and these were so very wild that we could not 

 obtain specimens, nor even ascertain the species. The only cry 

 was pirre, — che-eep, or crake, the notes of the arctic and roseate, 

 not being heard ; it was therefore considered that they were all 

 probably S. hirimdo. They appeared only about or within view 

 of the islands containing their nests, of which a number were dis- 

 covered. All of these, and there were several on Skart Eock, 

 were regularly composed of dried plants of the genus Fucus, 

 wliich had been thrown up by the tide. Two nests, which 

 I observed on Bird Island, were composed of dried grass-wrack 

 {Zostera marina'); one of these contained tliree, the other five 



* Mr. Joliu Hancock, in Hewitsou's ' Eggs of Brit. Birds.' 

 t Knox. 



