STERNA FLUVIATILIS. 1017 



the coasts of Sicily and Italy in the spring, remaining in Sardinia throughout the summer. It breeds in 

 Transylvania, and is found northward to the Baltic sea, remaining on the Rhine from May until August. In 

 Denmark it is abundant, and it follows the coasts of Sweden to Uleaborg at the head of the Gulf, where 

 Mr. Dresser found it abundant. Along the coasts of Norway it is distributed as far north as Lofoten ; and it 

 has occurred once in Iceland, though not in the Faroes or in Shetland. It is abundant in Holland in the 

 breeding-season, and is a regular summer visitant to England, Ireland, and Scotland, breeding at Dungeness, 

 Ramsay Island, and the Fame Islands, Foulney Island, and on Strangford Lough. In France it is common, 

 breeding in Picardy and on the Loire. In Spain it is abundant, and breeds on the coast on the Mar Menor, 

 which Mr. Saunders considers as its southern breeding-limit. It likewise occurs in Portugal, and extends to 

 the Atlantic isles, breeding in the Azores, the Canaries, and Madeira. Along the north coast of Africa it is 

 found from Morocco to Egypt, where it occurs in winter and spring. Von Heugliu says it is seen throughout 

 the year in the delta ; but he never noticed it on the Red Sea. It extends to the Cape of Good Hope, most 

 probably by the way of the west coast, as it has been recorded from Senegambia. Layard found it at all times 

 of the year at the Cape, and Mr. Gurney mentions an instance of its occurrence in Natal. 



Finally, in America it is found all down the Atlantic coasts from Labrador to Texas in spring and autumn, 

 collecting in the latter place in summer, and breeding on the islands in Galveston Bay. 



Habits. — This well-known Tern has much the same mode of living as the Gull-billed Tern, frequenting 

 bays, harbours, estuaries, backwaters, and likewise lakes and rivers far inland. It is active and buoyant on 

 the wing, and associates in moderately-sized flocks, which fish in close company with other species ; and while 

 following a " school" of fish, or hovering over and plunging into a school of sardines or other small fry, it is, 

 like the Crested Terns, very noisy, continually giving out its note as it plunges headlong into the living mass, 

 and in its excitement scarcely waits to swallow its prey before darting again into the water. They are fond of 

 flying about the bars of rivers on the watch for fish crossing the shoal water ; and a favourite spot at Trinco- 

 malie for them, as well as for other species, was the corner of Back Bay and the north side of the Fort, for 

 here the sardines collected in enormous shoals, and furnished them abundance of food. When the strong 

 south-west winds set in in April, blowing off the land, these and other Terns used to appear in greater numbers 

 than at other times. It is not at all shy, pouncing on fish close to a boat, or near people who may happen 

 to be bathing or fishing. When hovering over fish (which they are much in the habit of doing) they give 

 utterance to a metallic-sounding twink, by which I could always identify them at no little distance. This 

 piping note is quite different from that of any other Tern frequenting Ceylonese waters. In an interesting 

 account given by Macgillivray of their habits in Great Britain, this author attributes an inquisitive propensity 

 to them, such as is very noticeable in the Gull-billed Tern. He says, " When walking along the sandy shore, no 

 bird nearer, perhaps, than a quarter of a mile, you may see one or two of them coming up from a distance, 

 increasing their cries as they approach, then wheeling and plunging over and around you, and at length flying 

 off." He likewise asserts that they often alight on the water and swim a little ; but this I have never seen 

 them do. When tired of fishing in Ceylon they rest on the sea-beach in little groups of three or four. I have 

 found their food to consist entirely of fish ; but they are said to eat sand-eels, small crustaceans, &c. 

 Mr. Gurney, jun., gives an interesting account, communicated to Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser, of a pair of 

 these Terns which were tamed by a taxidermist at Stockton-on-Tees, and which used to come to his call or 

 whistle as they flew about his house. 



Nidificatimi. — The Common Tern breeds in May and June, either making an apology for a nest in the 

 shape of a little depression lined with a few dry grasses, or laying its eggs upon dry drift grass or salt marsh. 

 In sand, Macgillivray says that they make a depression without any lining ; and the situations they generally 

 choose are sandy tracts or pebbly ridges on the shore, rocky ground, or sometimes low rocks. The eggs are 

 usually three in number, and are of a dull clay-buff, olivaceous stone, pale greenish, and brownish-buff ground- 

 colour, and in shape are pointed ovals, well rounded at the obtuse end. One specimen in the series before me, 

 in the possession of Mr. Dresser, is uniform dull white, and measures only 1-56 by L12 inch. The markings in 

 general consist of large blotches of deep (blackish) sepia, which, on the boldest-coloured, are chiefly collected 



