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LARI DTE. 
scientific party on the 4th of June, and two of their nests contain- 
ing eggs discovered. 
Another inland breeding-haunt is at Lake Clay (south), near 
Killileagh, county of Down, where about twenty were seen, and two 
shot on the 16th of July, 1845. Their nests are placed on rocky, 
stony, and grassy islets. At one period they were in great numbers 
here, and even in 1843 so many had nests on the chief islet that 
it could hardly be walked over without their eggs being broken. 
Half-a-dozen nests were found on the present occasion, but all 
empty except two that contained young. The old terns pursued 
and darted down at all birds, including even herons and herring- 
gulls, that flew over any part of the lake ; and these comparatively 
huge birds were evidently annoyed at the assaults of the terns, and 
kept shifting their position to avoid them.* 
I have seen specimens of the 8. hirundo from a lake in the 
county of Monaghan, and have been told that both it and the 
Larus ridibundus breed numerously (or at least did some years 
ago) on islands in Lough Egish. The breeding-haunts of this 
gull seem equally suited to the Sterna hirundo . The tern lately 
bred also at Chantanee and Shircock Lakes, in that county.f It 
frequents the river Shannon in summer, whither it is believed to be 
attracted by the salmon-fry. The first day on which its appear- 
ance there was noted in one year was the 21st of May. if During 
a tour made to the west and south of Ireland, by Mr. E. Ball and 
myself, at the end of June and beginning of July 1834, a tern of 
the common species came within a few yards of us at Lough Carra. 
A few terns, most probably S. hirundo , but not near enough for 
their species to be distinguished, were seen on Lough Corrib, on 
some of the islands of which our boatmen stated that they breed, 
and where I am assured they do until the present period (1850). 
The marine and fresh-water localities, named as breeding-haunts 
of the common tern, must be considered only as an indication of 
those resorted to by the bird, and such as are positively known 
to my correspondents or myself. They must be greatly more nu- 
merous around the coast, and throughout the fresh-water lakes of 
* Mr. Darragh. f Mr. Robt. S. Evatt, 1845. £ Rev. Th. Knox. 
