CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 55 



an east and west direction. Over this flat were scattered patches 

 oi Are ftaria pep hides and a few hummocks of sand grdiSS {Ammophila 

 arenaria)y and occasionally remains of old wrecks. In these locali- 

 ties the nests were placed very thickly, and young birds were in 

 multitudes. Most of the nests were just depressions in the sand, 

 but others were lined with anything that came handy, as broken 

 shells, grass, sea-weed, egg cases of squid and other materials. 



All the species bred together; but the common tern was by far 

 the most abundant, while the arctic came next, and the roseate 

 in much smaller numbers. Owing to the presence of foxes on the 

 island, the birds are much disturbed on their breeding-grounds, 

 and this year many nests were placed on the sand-hills near the 

 stations, where foxes dare not come. On the sand-hills where 

 grass was plentiful the nests were still mere depressions in the • 

 sand, and hardly any had even a slight lining of grass. {Macoun). 



71. Arctic Tern. 



Sterna paradiscea Brunn. 1764. 



This tern, although an arctic bird, seems to be little known in 

 Greenland, but breeds in Ungava bay and southward to Nova 

 Scotia. Brewster reports it breeding abundantly on the Magdalens 

 and in June, 1897, Rev. C. J. Young found it there, and it has been 

 found breeding in other parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Cham- 

 berlain says it is rare in New Brunswick and only as a straggler. 

 Mcllwraith says it is of rare occurrence in Ontario, and all our 

 researches in the western territories never revealed this bird east 

 of the Columbia river. Numbers were seen on Upper Arrow lake, 

 Columbia river, B.C., June 5th, 1890, but they went north a few- 

 days later. 



This was the most common tern seen from the northern parts 

 of Hudson bay to the far north. They nest along shores placing 

 their eggs, without nesting material, on the sand or gravel. (^A. 

 P. Low) Common on Hudson bay. {Preble.) Breeds as exten- 

 sively as the common tern and extends as" far north. {Mac/arlane.) 

 This species breeds very abundantly on the shores of Melville 

 peninsula and on the islands and beaches of the Arctic sea. 

 {Richardson.) On the sandy islands east of Point Barrow. {Mur- 

 doch.) They breed in great numbers throughout all northern 



