708 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



pointed oval, with creamy or buff ground, blotched and spotted, 

 often with zone at large end, dark reddish-brown with ashy shell- 

 marks. Average of 100 British eggs, 44x29.9. Max. : 47.8x31 

 and 44x32.1. ffin. : 39.1 X 29.7 and 41 X 27.3 mm. Breeding- 

 season; — From early June onward. Incubation. — By both sexes in 

 turn. Period ; 21 days (Lynds Jones), Bureau's estimate of 

 18 days erroneous. Single brooded. 



Food. — Small fish caught at sea but no definite records of species. 

 Distribution. — British Isles. — Summer -resident and vagrant. 

 Breeds regularly, Fame Isles (Northumberland), a few pairs, 

 Skerries (N. Wales), small colony, another locality (N. Wales), large 

 colony. Bred Dorset (one or two pairs), 1921. and possibly Norfolk, 

 1921. Large breeding colony discovered Ireland, 1913 (G. R; 

 Humphreys, British B., vii. p. 186), although numbers much 

 reduced, birds have bred or been seen there every year since. 

 Second colony found in another locality 1917 (C. J. Carroll, t.c, xi. 

 p. 122), but no birds there 1920. Large colony discovered in third 

 locality 1922 (C. V. Stoney, Irish Nat., 1922, p. 129). Elsewhere 

 vagrant, very rare Scotland. Formerly bred Foulney and Walney 

 (Lanes.), Scilly, Clyde and possibly Moray areas, Eockabill Is., Dublin, 

 and Copeland Is., Down, and probably also in north-west Ireland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Coasts of Atlantic and (sparingly and 

 disappearing) North Sea, from about 57° north lat. in summer to 

 Mediterranean, Azores, and islands near Madeira ; in north-west 

 and east Africa ; N. America from Sable Island to Long Island and 

 from Bahamas to Lesser Antilles and north coast of Venezuela, 

 wintering from Bahamas to Brazil. In winter Azores, eastern and 

 southern coasts of Africa. Represented by subspecies on Andaman 

 Is., islands of Indian Ocean from Seychelles to New Guinea, and in 

 Australia, but only Andaman form easily separable. 



STERNA HIRUNDO* 



440. Sterna hirundo hirundo L. — THE COMMON TERN. 



Sterna Hirundo Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 137 (1758 — "Europa." 

 Restricted typical locality : Lakes and swamps of Sweden. Ex Fauna 

 Svecica, No. 127). 

 Sterna fluviatilis Naumann, Yarrell, 111, p. 549 ; Saunders, p. 647. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter.- — Fore-head white ; 

 fore-part of crown same but feathers with grey-brown centres 

 giving slightly mottled appearance ; back of crown and nape black- 

 brown ; back of neck white, most feathers tipped grey ; rest of 

 upper-parts blue-grey, tips of scapulars whitish and upper tail- 

 coverts more ashy ; lores white but spot in front of eye and speckles 

 under eye black ; rest of under-parts white ; tail-feathers grey, 

 inner webs paler and whitish at base, outer webs of outer brown- 



* There is no reason for rejecting the well-known name Sterna hirundo, 

 the description and breeding -place distinctly showing that this Tern was 

 meant by Linnaeus. Cf. Ibis, 1913, pp. 301-3.— E.H. 



