52 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



arundinacea), and occasionally remains of old wrecks. In 

 these localities 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, seaweed, 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 breed- 

 ing-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 depres- 

 sions in the sand, and hardly any had even a slight lining of 

 grass. 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



We have specimens taken at Indian Head and Crane Lake, 

 Assa. Of eggs we have 27 specimens. Four of these are from an 

 island in Lake Winnipeg, taken by Mr. J. B. Tyrrell ; and twenty- 

 three taken June 20th, 1894, on an island in Crane Lake, Assa., 

 by Mr. W. Spreadborough. 



'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. {Downs.) Brewster reports it breeding abundantly on the 

 Magdalens, and in June 1897 the Rev. C.J. Young found it there, 

 and it has been found breeding in other parts of the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence. Chamberlain says it is rare in New Brunswick and 

 only as a straggler. Mcllwraith says it is of rare occurence 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. 



Breeds as extensively as the Common Tern and extends as far 

 north. {Macfarlane.) This species breeds very abundantly on the 

 shores of Melville Peninsula and on the islands and beaches 

 Df the Arctic Sea. {Richardson.) On the sandy islands east of 



