Mr. H. Durnford on North-Frisian Ornithology. 401 
on the sea-beach and marsh; common on Amrum and the 
mainland. We reckoned about three hundred pairs of Arctic 
and Common Terns nesting on the first-named island. 
Sterna cantiaca. 
We found no nests; but the pastor of St. Clement's church 
on Amrum ; who is a bit of a collector, had several eggs taken 
on the island, and among them some of this species. We saw 
three birds on the west coast of Sylt. It probably breeds 
occasionally on the islands. The eggs the pastor had were 
taken some years ago at the north end of Amrum, where there 
is capital nesting-ground; but there were no birds when we 
were there. 
Sterna caspia. 
On the 3rd June we walked from List, the most northern 
village on Sylt, to the nesting-place of this species on the 
north-west coast of the island, halfway between the two light¬ 
houses. There were two small colonies, some hundred and 
fifty yards apart, one consisting of about ten and the other 
of about fifteen pairs of birds. They lay their eggs on the 
bare sand, between the beach and the dunes, in a slight hollow 
about the size of an Oyster-catcher's nest, occasionally lining 
it with a few pieces of shell. No nest (and we saw about a 
dozen) contained more than two eggs, which is not to be won¬ 
dered at, as they are robbed by boys from List on every pos¬ 
sible occasion. There were about ten eggs on the ground, 
two nests with two each, others containing a single egg apiece, 
and a few empty. We were accompanied by the lighthouse- 
keeper, who protects the nests as well as he can for the farmer. 
The latter has learnt the value of the eggs, and offered us a 
few he had in a box for sale; but we could not prevail on him 
to let us take any for ourselves. We obtained, however, some 
from the boys, which had been taken on the sly. The birds 
had not all laid when we were there; but the farmer told us 
the colonies were much diminished of late years. We did not 
see this species elsewhere. 
The Caspian Tern is an extremely handsome bird, its bright 
red bill, when circling over one's head, contrasting well with 
ser. hi.—VOL. iv. 2 F 
fmr 
