294 



6 



though often two are deposited ; and they are laid late in May or early in June. As may be 

 supposed, the eggs of this Tern are very large, those in my collection from Sylt and the Finland 

 coast varying in size from 2^§ by lf^ to 2f^ by lf-j| inch. In ground-colour they vary from 

 stone-grey to warm stone-buff with a greenish tinge, and are marked with purplish grey shell- 

 blotches and blackish brown surface-spots and blotches ; some of these latter are very peculiar in 

 shape, almost as if drawn with a pen ; and, as a rule, they are generally distributed over the 

 surface of the shell. The most abnormal egg and the lightest in shade of ground-colour is one 

 I myself took near Uleaborg, in Finland, and shot the old bird as she rose from her egg. 



The specimens figured are the adult examples in summer and winter dress above described. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a, 2 ad. Island of Riigen. b. Swedish coast (Meves). c, 3 . Dobrudscha, August 2nd. d, $ , Dobrudscha, 

 August 26th. e, 6 ■ Dobrudscha, September 5tb, 1873. /. Gulf of Arta, Albania, 1871 {Hanbury- 

 Barclay) . 



E Mus. Howard Saunders. 



a, b, ad. St. Lawrence, N. America, c, ? . Tamak, Crimea, July 23rd [Schmidt), d. Kurrachee, winter 

 {TV. B. Muloch). e,3. Muncher lake, Sindh, February 3rd, 1875 {TV. T. Blanford). f. Amoy, 

 February 1867 {R. Swinhoe). g, h, i,j. Otago, New Zealand {Captain Huttori). 



