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LARIDiE. 
of the roseate species) ;* and have been also, at Pevensey Shingle, 
Sussex.f Mr. Yarrell notices several localities on the south-west, 
south, and south-east (or rather the more southern portion of the 
east) of England as frequented by this species, but without stating 
whether or not it breeds at them. Unless the precise season be 
mentioned, we cannot properly infer from the tern’s presence at 
a locality that it breeds there, for it appears at many places on its 
vernal and autumnal migration near to which it never nidifies. 
Positive information is much wanted respecting the breeding- 
places of the several species of tern on the British coasts, &c. 
In Ireland, the common tern justifies its name, and is more 
generally diffused than the arctic (although this bird is more 
numerous in certain localities), and greatly more so than the 
roseate species. Under the last, it will be found noticed at the 
Mew Island; at other parts of the 
Down Coast 
it breeds, as on several of the low rocky and gravelly islets of 
Strangford Lough. On visiting a number of these on the 
20th and 21st June, 1832, the following note was made on the 
latter day : — Exclusive of Sterna mnnuta , of which two pair were 
seen on different islets (where no other terns appeared, nor were 
any of their nests found), we did not see more than about ten 
terns all day, and these were so very wild that we could not 
obtain specimens, nor even ascertain the species. The only cry 
was pirre, — che-eep , or crake, the notes of the arctic and roseate, 
not being heard ; it was therefore considered that they were all 
probably S, hirundo. They appeared only about or within view 
of the islands containing their nests, of which a number were dis- 
covered. All of these, and there were several on Skart Bock, 
were regularly composed of dried plants of the genus Fucus , 
which had been thrown up by the tide. Two nests, which 
I observed on Bird Island, were composed of dried grass-wrack 
( Zostera marina)) one of these contained three, the other five 
* Mr. John Hancock, in Hewitson’s ‘Eggs of Brit. Birds.’ 
t Knox. 
