THE SANDWICH TERN 



style of flight serve to distinguish it. The food, consisting chiefly of sand-eels and 

 other small fishes, is sought for by hovering above the water, and then secured by 

 a sudden downward swoop. 



The cry of this bird is harsh and grating, and is especially noticeable when its 

 breeding territory is invaded. 



THE ROSEATE TERN. 



Sterna dougalli, Montagu. 

 Plate 71. {Frontispiece^) 



This extremely graceful and delicately coloured species was first noticed by Dr. 

 MacDougall of Glasgow, on the Cumbraes, Firth of Clyde, over a hundred years 

 ago, when it appears to have been more numerous than at the present day. A few 

 colonies, however, are still to be found off the English and Welsh coasts, and some 

 pairs are said to nest in Scotland and in Ireland. During summer it is found 

 locally in some parts of Europe, but not apparently beyond 57 north latitude. It 

 frequents the coasts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and America, being migratory in the 

 colder parts of its habitat. 



The nest, like that of its allies, is a mere depression in the sand, occasionally 

 surrounded by some dry grass-stalks, and contains two or three eggs, resembling 

 those of the Common Tern. 



The habits of this species appear to be the same as those of the latter, although 

 their cries are said to differ, while the slender form and long tail of the Roseate 

 Tern distinguish it from other species when on the wing. 



THE COMMON TERN. 

 Sterna fiuviatilis, Naumann. 

 Plate 71. {Frontispiece.) 



The Common Tern is a summer visitant to the British Islands, breeding 

 abundantly on many parts of our coasts and sometimes on the shores of inland 

 lakes, but becoming less numerous towards the north of Scotland, where the Arctic 

 Tern predominates. It breeds in favourable localities throughout Europe, from as 



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