R 0 S E A T E TERN.
STERNA DOVGALLI.
THE numbers of this handsome Tern to lie seen frequenting our coasts during summer have greatly
diminished during the last twenty or thirty years; several of their hrri ilill[[ nlstlnM are entirely deserted,
and olhers alien a busy swarm might have been observed during the whole of the nesting-season are
now tenanted by but one or two pairs. This species has come under my observation only on two occasioos.
The first I met with was killed at the I'ern Islands early in June 1B87 : the second flapped slowly past
the punt on Itrcydnn mudflats on Ibe Mtb of May, 1871; both barrels of my gun having been discharged
a moment previously, the bird was OIL! of range before another cartridge could he inserted.
The Roseate Tern shot at the Fern Islands was obtained by the merest chance; two pairs of Arctic
Terns had just l-een secured fur specimens, when it was nseertniaed that the tall-feathers of ono of their
number bad been damaged, and another was needed to take its place. The whole of the birds breeding
in the vicinity had lieen disturbed by the shots and wen' hovering in a cloud above Ibe boat, rendering
it a difficult matter to select a satisfactory specimen and lire without eaauwng unnecessary destruction.
At length a Tern with long tail-feathers exceedingly well developed was noticed at a fair distance circling
round, apart from the noisy throng, and railing dead on the water without a feather displaced by the
charge; the rosy hue on the plumage of the breast at once attracted attention and revealed the species.
As the bird proved to be a female and evidently sitting, it was obvious that if no other pairs were
breeding on the islands her mate at least must be near at hand ; the daylight, however, was drawing to
a close by the time our specimens had been packed away, precluding all chances of further search till
the following morning. An early start having been etleeled from North Sunderland, the islands were
reached soon after sunrise, and every stretch of shingle or sandy soil to which the Terns resorted was
thoroughly explored. Though the occupants of each of the three large breeding-stations as well as the
smaller colonics underwent a lengthened examination through the glasses, while the greater number of
the birds were cither covering their eggs or perched quietly on the adjacent stones, and consequent ly
alfording every chance for careful inspection, I failed to detect a single rosy breast. Terns invariably
rise on wing should their haunts be approached, and fly with angry sen-.iuis towards the Intruders on
their domain; it is by no means an easy mutter to identify accurately any single Individual ¡u ibis denso
cloud, as darling rapidly or sailing round on expanded pinions each pursues its own course. In order to obtain
a clear and uninterrupted view of the whole assemblage at each station after alighting at their nestingquarters,
I Beans use of the tactics often success fully- employed with the Crow family or the larger birds
of prey. In company with throe or four of the crew of the fishing-craft that had piloted us from the
harbour", we approached one of the colonies, and selecting a spot, at the distance of almut sixty yards,
* Os * |>rm-i<"i« TINIL ta Snrth Snnderbud. 1 lud r.n.uVd that of tin- lw.it» in the harbour were uiitaMe for F.hi t¡na-¡.iirp.M. >
or following n VIMUMOU bin] with auffieknl speed, to cmuro a rapture, and cw*e.]ueullv on tlii< «cintos I had forwarded a lij-ht SO-fuot boat