148 



SANDWICH TERN. 



blackish : the forehead and the top of the head are 

 pure white ; the hinder part of the latter is slightly 

 sprinkled with black spots, which are placed in the 

 centre of the feathers : the feathers of the occiput 

 are rather long, and are deep black with white edges : 

 before the eyes is a black crescent : the nape, upper 

 part of the back, all the under parts, and the tail are 

 clear glossy white : the rest of the back, the scapulars 

 and wing-coverts are bright bluish-ash : the quills are 

 of a velvet-grey, and are all bordered on their inner 

 webs by a broad white band : the legs are black ; 

 with the under part of the foot yellow-ochre colour. 

 During the spring and summer, the forehead, top of 

 the head, and the occipital feathers are deep black : 

 the rest of the plumage resembles that of the winter. 

 The young about the head resemble their parents in 

 the winter, and like them their under parts are pure 

 white. The back and scapulars are whitish-ash, trans- 

 versely rayed with blackish-brown bars ; the larger 

 scapulars are edged with brown : the wing-coverts 

 are tipped with semicircular bands : the secondaries 

 and quills are blackish-ash, edged and tipped wit 

 white : the tail-feathers are ash-coloured at their base 

 then blackish, and tipped with white : the beak i 

 black, with the tip yellowish. 



This species inhabits the sea-coasts, and appears t 

 be freely distributed over all those of Europe : o 

 those of this country it is however not very frequent, 

 except in the neighbourhood of Sandwich, where it 

 was discovered by Mr. Boys, of that place, who com- 

 municated his discovery to Dr. Latham. It also 

 occurs on the coasts of Northumberland, as Bewick's 



