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Mr. Gould says (Handb. B. Austr. ii. p. 392) that it frequents all the shores of Australia, but is, 

 perhaps, more numerous on the islands in Bass's Straits and Tasmania than elsewhere. On the 

 American continent the present species is stated to be rather rare than otherwise. It is recorded 

 from the Mackenzie river by Bernard Boss ; and, according to Professor Baird, it is met with on 

 the coasts of the United States in winter as far south as New Jersey. 



This, the largest and most powerful of our European Terns, is almost essentially a frequenter 

 of the sea, seldom occurring inland or on smaller sheets of water ; and it is said to wander less 

 than its allies, being seldom found far from its nest during the breeding-season. Where I have 

 met with it, on the coasts of Sweden and Finland, it is rather scarce than otherwise, and is found 

 during the breeding-season in single pairs, appearing unsociable in its habits; but in places 

 where it is common it collects together in large numbers and breeds in colonies. When sitting, 

 the large bill gives it a somewhat ungainly appearance ; but on the wing it is graceful and active 

 in its movements, more so than the Gulls, though slower and not so buoyant as most of the 

 other species of Terns. It is powerful and bold, and is. strong enough to protect its eggs and 

 young from any of the Gulls; but at the same time it is said to take toll, like these, amongst its 

 weaker feathered brethren, and to now and again catch and devour a young bird, or steal an egg 

 or two. It swims more than the other Terns, but is not a very good swimmer. It feeds chiefly 

 on fish, which it catches as they are swimming close to the surface of the water, pouncing down 

 on them after hovering for a moment in the air; but it is said never to immerse itself below 

 the surface when plunging down after its prey, but merely dips its head in the water. When 

 caught the fish is swallowed whole, head first ; and digestion is very rapid, so that before it has 

 been long in the stomach it is reduced, all except the bones, to a sort of thin pulp. When 

 flying about in search of food its cry is frequently uttered. This cry is loud, and very harsh, 

 not unlike the note of the common Heron, and resembles the syllables craak craa uttered 

 deeply. Should its breeding-haunts be invaded, it evinces the greatest alarm and anxiety, and 

 will dash close round the intruder, uttering loud cries ; and Naumann remarks that should there 

 be eggs in the nest the male bird is the most anxious and bold, whereas if the young are hatched 

 the female is the one which evinces the most anxiety, and adds that this is the case with most of 

 the sea-birds. It breeds either singly or in colonies ; and in the latter case they probably con- 

 gregate for the purpose of defence against the Gulls and other birds which make a practice of 

 stealing eggs and young birds. The nests which I have seen were merely a depression in the 

 sand not far from the water, sometimes without any lining, and at others with a few grass-bents 

 inside the nest-depression. Mr. Durnford, who visited Sylt in 1874, writes (Ibis, 1874, p. 401) 

 as follows : — " On the 3rd June we walked from List, the most northern village in Sylt, to the 

 nesting-place of this species on the north-west coast of the island, halfway between the two 

 lighthouses. There were two small colonies, some hundred and fifty yards apart, one consisting 

 of about ten and the other of about fifteen pairs of birds. They lay their eggs on the bare sand, 

 between the beach and the dunes, in a slight hollow about the size of an Oyster-catcher's nest, 

 occasionally lining it with a few pieces of shell. No nest (and we saw about a dozen) contained 

 more than two eggs, which is not to be wondered at, as they are robbed by boys from List on 

 every possible occasion. There were about ten eggs on the ground, two nests with two each, 

 others containing a single egg apiece, and a few empty." As a rule, the number of eggs is three, 



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