MR. J. H. GURNEY, JUN. , ON BIRDS OF TIIE FARNE ISLANDS. 57 
Sandwich Tern. 
The Sandwich Terns only breed on the Knox, where there is a 
very nice colony indeed. Young “Sandwiches” were running about 
on the stones, and even taking to the water ; and about fifty nests 
still held eggs, though, in most cases, only one, and none had 
more than two eggs ; but of empty shells, which had very recently 
held young ones, there were plenty. They breed rather earlier than 
the Arctic Terns. The oldest young Sandwich found was just begin- 
ning to show feather; the little chaps swim like a cork in water. 
The nestling when hatched has slate-coloured legs, which become 
yellower as it gets older, and the dark chin becomes more pronounced, 
but never so black as in the Arctic Tern. Some of the eggs are 
simply splendid; the white typo seems commonest, but in one nest 
there were white and yellow eggs side by side. Before any wero 
hatched, Mr. Barclay had the nests counted by the keeper, who 
reckoned them up, and made the number two hundred and fifty, 
and all these in a space of little more than one hundred yards, 
for the Sandwich Terns always keep to a limited area. The old 
birds were not nearly so tame as the Arctic Terns, but we could 
see that many of them had already mottled foreheads. 
Arctic Tern. 
Arctic Terns were in great numbers on Knox and Wide-Opens, 
which at low tide form one island, so much so that it was very 
difficult to avoid treading on their eggs, though, by the greatest 
circumspection, I succeeded in not breaking one. Many of the 
eggs were on the point of hatching, and many had just hatched, 
and lively chicks were to be seen escaping over the stones; for 
these birds are able to see when hatched, and very soon quit 
their domicile. Mr. Paynter, who knows the islands well, assured 
Mr. Barclay they w r ere more numerous than he ever remembered them. 
On the other hand, the Common Tern appears to be decreasing. 
Roseate Tern. 
Our utmost endeavours failed to find the Roseate Tern, but the 
keepers all agreed that there were one or two pairs still. I have 
a couple which were shot by one of the lighthouse-keepers, named 
Argent, more than twenty years ago, and, strange to say, they 
retain the beautiful and usually evanescent roseate colour, probably 
owing to their having been kept for some years in a dark room. 
