﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  211 
  

  

  in 
  1891, 
  and 
  both 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  this 
  species 
  

   only 
  that 
  was 
  breeding 
  there, 
  not 
  the 
  Common. 
  Harvie-Brown 
  

   visited 
  the 
  Old 
  Bar 
  again 
  in 
  1893, 
  and 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  similar 
  conclusion. 
  

   Without 
  doubt, 
  however, 
  the 
  Old 
  Bar 
  offers, 
  far 
  and 
  away, 
  the 
  

   most 
  likely 
  Arctic 
  Tern-ground 
  of 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  coast 
  

   of 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth. 
  

  

  Sterna 
  minuta, 
  L. 
  Little 
  Tern. 
  

  

  St. 
  John 
  remarks 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  breeds 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  places 
  as 
  the 
  

   Common 
  Tern, 
  but 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  numerous. 
  

  

  We 
  ourselves 
  have 
  only 
  once 
  observed 
  the 
  Little 
  Tern 
  north 
  of 
  

   Inverness, 
  when 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  pair 
  near 
  Brora 
  in 
  1871 
  - 
  they 
  were 
  

   reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  there 
  again 
  in 
  1877. 
  One 
  was 
  shot 
  at 
  

   the 
  same 
  place 
  in 
  October 
  1890 
  (W. 
  Baillie). 
  The 
  largest 
  colony 
  

   we 
  have 
  seen 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  is 
  near 
  Findhorn 
  ; 
  a 
  

   smaller 
  one 
  exists 
  on 
  the 
  Old 
  Bar. 
  

  

  Brown 
  of 
  Forres 
  considers 
  it 
  common, 
  but 
  not 
  abundant. 
  To 
  

   the 
  eastward 
  of 
  Spey, 
  and 
  within 
  the 
  confines 
  of 
  our 
  area, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   common, 
  and 
  Edward 
  says 
  does 
  not 
  breed 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  

   the 
  Banff 
  coast. 
  The 
  1 
  shiftiness 
  ' 
  of 
  Terns 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  ex- 
  

   plain, 
  and 
  this 
  species 
  decidedly 
  participates 
  in 
  the 
  generic 
  

   failing. 
  In 
  1885, 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Young, 
  who 
  visited 
  the 
  Morayshire 
  

   haunts 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Tern, 
  on 
  purpose 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  nest 
  or 
  two 
  

   of 
  eggs, 
  saw 
  none 
  in 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May 
  at 
  either 
  Findhorn 
  or 
  

   Culbins, 
  but 
  on 
  6th 
  June 
  — 
  Little 
  Terns 
  are 
  late 
  of 
  arriving 
  at 
  their 
  

   breeding 
  haunts 
  — 
  Harvie-Brown 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  pairs 
  at 
  these 
  

   places, 
  and 
  got 
  a 
  nest 
  with 
  two 
  eggs. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  they 
  had 
  not 
  

   arrived 
  on 
  the 
  28th 
  May, 
  when 
  Mr. 
  Young 
  was 
  there. 
  Pairs 
  breed 
  

   during 
  most 
  seasons 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  suitable 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  coast- 
  

   line 
  between 
  Findhorn 
  and 
  Lossiemouth, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  also 
  as 
  Spey- 
  

   mouth. 
  But 
  in 
  1887 
  — 
  a 
  season 
  in 
  which, 
  for 
  whatever 
  reason, 
  

   Terns 
  were 
  apparently 
  in 
  unusual 
  numbers 
  along 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth 
  — 
  

   0. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Lee, 
  who 
  was 
  residing 
  that 
  summer 
  at 
  Kincorth, 
  found 
  a 
  

   large 
  colony 
  breeding 
  still 
  further 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  — 
  nineteen 
  nests 
  

   in 
  all 
  — 
  and 
  all 
  eggs 
  were 
  hard-set 
  by 
  June 
  15th 
  or 
  so. 
  He 
  kindly 
  

   presented 
  us 
  with 
  two 
  sets, 
  along 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Roseate 
  and 
  

   Sandwich 
  Terns. 
  

  

  