306 



6 



town of Ballina, and about three miles from the estuary. This lough, nearly surrounded by a 

 bog, is about twenty or thirty acres in extent, and has a wooded island in the centre, with a 

 quantity of reeds and bulrushes at one end. On visiting the spot I found a large colony of 

 Black-headed Gulls breeding amongst the reeds, and a small colony of the Sandwich Terns 

 located on a low flat mud-bank scarcely above the level of the water. Some of these Terns had 

 no nests to speak of, but laid their eggs in a slight depression of the soil, thinly lined with a few 

 blades of dried grass ; and (as well as I can remember now) I think three was the average number 

 of the eggs in each nest. When returning I brought five or six of the eggs back with me ; and 

 at that date (the last week in May) some were nearly hatched, and too far advanced for blowing, 

 which shows that this species breeds much earlier than the smaller Terns. The following winter 

 and spring being unusually wet, the level of the lake was raised so high as to cover the mud-bank 

 upon which the Terns had had their nests ; and as the bank continued under water during the 

 summer of 1858, the Terns deserted this lake altogether. They have now moved to the little 

 moorland lough of Rarouem, situated midway between Ballina and Killala, and within sight of 

 the high road between those towns. This lough is considerably larger than that of Cloona, but 

 is nearly surrounded by bog, with very swampy shores, and a large quantity of weeds growing on 

 the margin. In some places these weeds grow far out towards the centre, where there is a small 

 circular island about twenty yards in diameter, whereon a large number of Black-headed Gulls 

 make their nests, as they do also among the reeds ; but the Terns have theirs on a bare part of 

 the island, a little way from those of the Gulls. This lake, with the adjoining land, is the 

 property of Sir Charles Knox Gore, who, with the spirit of a true naturalist, strictly preserves it, 

 and does not permit either Gulls or Terns to be disturbed ; last season he had the bushes and 

 long grass cut off the island, in order to give the birds more space for their nests, so that now, 

 being well protected, there is every likelihood of this beautiful species increasing every year." 



The specimens figured are the adult birds, in winter and in summer plumage, above 

 described. 



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



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a, pull. Volga, Russia, August 1st, 1860 (Sabanaeff). b, c, d. Albania, winter (Hanbury Barclay), e, <3 . 

 Butrinto, Albania, October 12th, 1871 (H. Barclay), f, ? . Sea of Marmora, April 28th, 1865 (Robson). 

 g. S. Africa (Layard). h. Chiapam, Central America, January 1865 (O. Salvin). 



E Mus. Howard Saunders. 



a, 3 , b, ? ad. Walney Island, Lancashire, June 4th, 1865 (H. S.). c, ad. Buddonness, Frith of Tay, June. 

 d, 6 ad. Havre, July 27th. e, 6 ad. Havre, August 29th. f, juv. Havre, August 1873. g, 2 ad. 

 Tamak, Crimea, June 1862 (Th. Schmidt). h, $ ad. Malaga, Spain, December 28th, 1871 (Rios). 

 i, ad. Tangier, December (Olcese). j, ad. Kurrachee, Sind, January 9th, 1875 (TV. T. Blanford). 

 k, im., I, m. Table Bay, S. Africa, August 1870 (E. L. Layard). n, ad. Virginia, U. S., breeding 

 (Krider). o (winter pi.) . Rio de Janeiro. p,pullus. Nordeney, Denmark (Benzon). 



E Mus. C. A. Wright, 

 a. Malta, winter of 1863 (C. A. TV.) 



