644 SANDWICH TERN. 
hagen in the Baltic, though it nests in large colonies on the low 
coasts and some of the islands of the North Sea, from Jutland to the 
Netherlands. On migration it visits the shores of France, and in 
1898 several pairs bred on an islet near Guernsey ; while it is 
common on passage in Spain, where some remain to nest, as they 
do in Sardinia, and perhaps in Sicily. Further up the Mediterranean 
it is comparatively rare, but it is plentiful on the Black and Caspian 
Seas, and occurs along the Arabian and Persian coasts, and as far 
as Karachi in Sind. It nests in the Canaries, and frequents the 
northern waters of Africa, going down the west coast in winter as 
far as Cape Colony, and reaching Natal on the east. In America this 
Tern (sometimes distinguished as Sterna acuflavida) inhabits the 
Atlantic sea-board from New England southward to Honduras, 
and the late Mr. Salvin found it breeding in the latter, while he 
noticed it on both coasts of Guatemala; in winter it has occurred 
at Cartagena, Colombia. 
The nests are frequently mere shallow holes scratched in the 
sand among sea-campion or other plants, but on Walney Island and 
elsewhere tolerably solid structures of bents have been noticed. 
The eggs are usually 2 and rarely 3 in number, and while many are 
of a warm stone-colour, thickly scrolled and spotted with ash-grey, 
black or deep reddish-brown, in others the ground-colour is creamy- 
white: measurements 2 in. by 1°5 in. By fishermen this species 
is distinguished as ‘the Tern,’ and other species pass under the 
general name of ‘Sea-Swallows.’ It subsists chiefly upon fish, 
especially the sand-lance and young gar-fish. Its flight is strong and 
rapid, the bird making a great advance at each stroke of the 
pinions ; and, except when engaged in incubation, it is usually on 
the wing, uttering at intervals a hoarse and grating cry, Aérhitt, 
hirhitt, audible at a long distance. 
The adult in spring has the bil] chiefly black, yellow at the tip; 
forehead, crown and elongated nuchal feathers black ; mantle pearl- 
grey; quills rather darker on the portion of the web next to the 
white shaft, but pure white on the greater part of the inner web 
down to the very tip; rump and tail white; throat and under-parts 
white, often suffused with a lovely salmon-pink ; legs and feet black. 
In June the black on the forehead begins to diminish, and much of 
it has disappeared by the end of August, but the nape remains 
mottled throughout the winter. Length 16 in. (bill 25 in.), wing 
12 in. The young (in the background) has the head barred with 
black and white ; the back, wing-coverts and tail-feathers varied with 
angular lines of black. 
