THE COMMON TERN, 
807 
placed in a shallow hole scratched among the sea campion, or other 
plants growing in the selected spot ; they are about two inches in 
length, of a yellowish stone colour, thickly spotted with ash grey, 
orange brown, or deep red brown, subject to considerable variety. 
The Common Tern is a bird with several aliases to its 
name ; sometimes it is called Kirmew, sometimes Pictarne 
or Picket, at others Spurre, and, again, Tarney or Tarret ; 
its Latin name means Swallow Tern. It is about fifteen 
inches in length, has a slender bill as long as its head, two- 
thirds of it coral red like the feet ; the rest, which is the 
tip, black, like the upper part of the head and nape ; the 
back and wings are light greyish blue, all the rest white, 
the breast having a slight tinge of grey ; the tail is deeply 
forked. 
This bird frequents many parts of the coasts of Britain 
and its islands during summer and the first half of autumn. 
It arrives in the south of England in the beginning of May, 
colonies remaining there while others proceed along the 
shores on both sides of the island. It is stated to be less 
common on the eastern side, and more plentiful on the 
southern ; but there are few extreme points of the coast on 
which it is not to be met with. Montagu says it is to be 
found in great abundance on parts of the Sussex and 
Kentish coasts, particularly about Winchelsea, and from 
thence to Dungeness. It visits most of the countries of 
Europe, from the Adriatic to the Baltic ; and has been 
found in Madeira, the Canary Isles, Senegal, and the 
southern extremity of Africa. Macgillivray gives this 
account of its habits : — 
With us the Terns arrive in straggling flocks in the beginning of 
May, and soon after betake themselves to their breeding-places, 
which are sandy tracts, gravelly or pebbly ridges on the shore, rocky 
ground, or sometimes low rocks. In the latter kind of situation they 
make an imperfect nest of bits of grass, or fragments of sea-weeds ; 
but on sand they merely form a depression. The eggs, generally 
three, sometimes two or four, are aboiit an inch and two-thirds in 
length, but they vary much in size, and considerably in form ; their 
general colour yellowish-grey, pale greenish-brown, or greenish-blue, 
with blotches and spots of brown, sometimes mixed with purplish- 
grey. The birds usually sit upon them by day, unless in sunny 
weather, or when they are much disturbed, and always at night, as 
u 2 
