Kent, in the month of June, but of the other I have unfortunately
mislaid the letter which contaihed the particulars..
According to M. Vieillot it has been taken in Picardy, and
on the coagt of the Channel. M. Temminck says it is, common
in Hungary, and the; confines df Turley, and"was in-
"eluded by M. Sayjgny, among the Birds of Egypt. T h is'
species appears to have a most'extensive geographicaWange.
M. Temminck says he received a specimen killedT:in the
“United States, and two others from Brazil: these^Jast were
killed there by Prince NeuVued, and they did not eitherkf“
them differ from those obtained on the pf Utfngary.
Mr. Selby says, “ Upon investigating specimens from 'North
America, I Teel no hesitation* im egnsidefing the'Marsh Tern
of Wilson’s North-American Ornithology3 to ibl the same
bird.” Mr. Audubon also saySf/i Having taken six specimens
of the American Marsh Tern to the British Museum, and
minutely compared them: in all- their details.*with the djg&elr
mens of the Gull-billed Tern, which formed' pSSb of the-cM-'
lection of Colonel Montagu, and were procured in the South
of England, I found them to agreese^ perfectly that n'Prdoubt
remained with me. of the identity of the bird described by
Wilson with that first distinguished by the English Ornithologist.”
“Colonel Sykes, in his published: account of' the
Birds of India, collected by. himself, says of this Ispeeies'ymy
‘‘ specimens correspond exactly nvith specimen§s-ef ■ this rare
British Bird in the British Museum.”
The specimens I have been- able to examine',»some from
Germany and others in the British Museum, appear tattle to
be of the same species, the tarsus in all jaf them measuring
one inch and a quarter, the middle toe and claw together
being of the same length as the tarsus. M. Temminck mentions
that Boie had received specimens from the eastern coast
of Jutland, where this bird is said to -breed. Two examples
were seen in the south of Holland, in the summer of 183-9,
by M. Temminck himself, one of which was obtained, M.
GULL-BILLED TEKN. 409
Sayi< includes this species in his Birds of Italy. It visits the
shores of,the Red Bea; and M. Temminck says it is very
abundant in the* islands of Sunda, several specimens sent him
from theneeiaot differing from those of Europe. The Sterna
affinis M Dr. Horsiell^obtained in Java, is considered also
B iM. Temminck to be ofrthe same species.
This' Tern- feeds- on small fishes and large insects ; fre-
quentmgf rnaMlie^alJer than the^ea- coast, and-lays two or
th re e |||||s; which, judging, from figures of them in continental
worker are one' incH-bleven* lines: long; by one inch four lines
in .breadth, of ,a dark iefiye-brown ^spotted with ash-colour
anq/two shades of darl^Mld-brown.
In the afeult: in summer the^omyK. black, and one inch and
a quarter in'derig-t'h^@1^ m e 4pointuto the feathers on the fore-
^ lathyJ the afigi^^at r thp^Maapjhisis of the lower mandible
lyalhe^prommen^pirides reddish-brown; forehead, crown, and
napeijifflblacb;; behind greyish-white ; back, scapulars,
wipg^ ip f coverts^ s ^ S » s , " a n d tertials, upper tail-coverts
and tailffeather^wnform phle ash-grPy; ther-putside web of
the first primary slater-grey, the other primaries pearl-grey;
flfehin, .throat, breast,- belly, and all the under surfrtCi white;
legs'; toes, membranes, and claws', black. The whole length
id f ‘the bird figured from and described, fifteen inches and a
half ill-wing from the wrist thirteen inches.
I hayefseen two or three specimens of the adult bird killed
in winter, the head is then white/
A-young bird of the;year, measuring thirteen inches, has
-the bffhblueish-black; head on the top dull white, varied with
palebrown and dusky streaks; on the ear-coverts a spot of
greyish-black ; neck all round white ; back,. scapulars, and
tertials orange-brown, spotted with darker brown; wing-
coverts .ash-grey, tipped with* pale orange-brown; primaries
pearhgrey; tail but little forked; chin, neck, and all the
under surface of the body white.