NESTING OF THE LITTLE AND COMMON TERNS, &C. 241 
have quite by chance stumbled on the colony of Common Terns 
and Black-headed Gulls recorded by Mr. T. Hepburn in The 
Zoologist 1910, and again by Mr. W. B. Nichols in British Birds, 
(vol. vii., 1913). 
I have seen no reference in print to the colony of Little Terns 
with which I have dealt. 
With regard to the status of Essex Terns, Mr. Miller Christy 
in his Birds of Essex states “ Common Tern : An uncommon 
summer visitor, which used to breed on our coast, but does not 
now do so.” ” Little Tern : A summer migrant which used to 
breed commonly on the Essex coast, though I only know of a 
single breeding colony at the present time.” 
Apparently the colony of Little Terns referred to by Mr. 
Miller Christy is not the one dealt with in this note. 
We can now say with certainty that the Common Tern still 
nests in Essex, and I think that the presence of the Little Tern 
at such a date points to the probability of its breeding, and I hope 
at some time to be able to prove that the nesting colony of 1912 
has not been entirely destroyed. 
My visit was mainly devoted to the Terns, but the following 
species which I identified are not without interest, Corn Bunting, 
Red-backed Shrike, Blackcap, Spotted Flycatcher, Turtle 
Dove (again found to be exceedingly common, whilst in some 
parts of Essex it is decidedly otherwise), Yellow Wagtail, 
Redshank (very numerous and no doubt nesting), Shelduck 
(said to nest, which is very likely, but evidence is required), and 
Curlew. 
Essex Hydroids. —Our member, Mr. F. J. Lambert, has 
kindly supplied the Club’s Museum with, among other specimens, 
the following living hydrozoans, collected by himself at Southend- 
on-Sea, or neighbourhood, during the winter of 1920-21, viz. :— 
Clava multicornis , Forsk. Campannlaria flexuosa, Alder. 
Tubularia larynx, Ellis and Solander. 
Actinogoninm pusillum, van. Ben. Gonlhyrdea Loveni, Alim. 
Obelia dichotoma, Linn. Sertularia pnmila, Linn. 
In view of the meagre records of Hydrozoa from Essex waters 
it seems desirable to publish the above, which have been deter¬ 
mined by Mr. A. K. Totton, of the British Museum (Natural 
History).— Percy Thompson. 
