AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 223 



Crisp ; this bird did not survive the night, and at the 

 request of Miss F. Wickham was most courteously 

 confided to her as a gift to me. Miss Wickham was 

 kind enough to come over to Lilford on the 26th, 

 bringing with her the Gannet, fresh, and in fine 

 condition — a most welcome addition to my collection 

 of county-birds. On March 4th, 1893, another 

 Gannet in beautiful adult plumage was caught by 

 a dog on the roadside near Stanion ; this bird was 

 brought to me by its owner on May 6th, 1893, and 

 added to my collection, by purchase. 



200. BLACK TERN. 



Hydroclielidon Jissipes. 



Morton, in his ' Natural History of Northampton- 

 shire ' (chap. 7, p. 431), after stating that " the Sea 

 Swallow is seen not unfrequently in summer flying 

 up and down the Chanel of the Nyne, above Peter- 

 borough ; sometimes as high upward as Thrapston," 

 goes on : — " As is also the Brown Tern, Larus 

 cinereus minor, Aldrov. Which in the Fens is 

 usually called the Stern." The Sea-Swallow in this 

 passage undoubtedly refers to the Common Tern 

 [Sterna fluviatilis) , and although I consider that 

 our old author is mistaken in his reference to 

 Aldrovandus, I feel certain that the present species 

 is that indicated by him as " BroAvn Tern " ; at all 

 events his note, which still holds good with regard 

 to the Common Tern, and in lesser degree as to 

 frequency to the Black Tern, could hardly, in my 

 opinion, have ever been applicable to any other 

 member of the Tern family. Although from the 



