BLACK TERN. 
489 
tlie river Tongreep, near the village of Valkenswaard, in 
South Holland. This river will not confine itself to its 
proper channel, and, overflowing its banks, “causes a 
great extent of swampy ground, in which grow luxuri¬ 
antly all sorts of aquatic plants, and it was in such a 
place as this, that the Black Terns took up their quar¬ 
ters this year for the breeding-season. On the 23rd of 
May, a man brought in four of their eggs, the first we 
had had; on the 25th, a quantity more; and the follow¬ 
ing day, stripping myself of all but my shirt, to prevent 
the sun, which was intolerably hot, from scorching the 
skin, and boots to prevent the bog myrtle and roots from 
hurting the feet, I went to their haunts, and paddled 
about for hours in search of their nests, seldom, how¬ 
ever, sinking more than up to my waist in mud and 
water. I found a great many nests; but as the greatest 
number of eg^s I ever obtained from one nest was three, 
©O 
and as many of these were sat upon, I should imagine 
three to be the usual number of eggs this bird lays. 
The nest is not very bulky, but is larger at the bottom 
than at the top, where there is a small cavity left for 
the eggs. It is composed of decayed pieces of an equi- 
setum, and bits of roots, and rises and falls with the 
water/' 
The eggs of the Black Tern, although abounding in 
variety, are yet very specific,—a good deal resembling, 
in one of their varieties, the eggs of the pratincole. 
Some are more closely freckled all over than fig. 2; 
some are as long in proportion as eggs of the roseate 
tern, and many are very distinctly banded near the 
middle. 
