Montagu’s specimen, the type of the species, is how in the
British Museum. The next occurrence is one stated by
Mr. John Skaife (Charlesworth’s MagT'Nat. ’Hist. ii. p. 580),
to have been shot at Blackpool in Lancashire in the summer
of 1882. The Author heard of two examples killed in this
country, both in 1 8 3 9 One in Kent, in the. month of June,
hut he mislaid the letter which contained the particulars IÊ
the other. One recorded by Mr. H. Denny (Ann. & Mag.
N. H. xii. p. 297b was taken near Leeds in the last we’ek of
July, 1843, and was noticed at the York meeting of1 the
British Association.
In Norfolk the. Gull-billed Tern has^hben’ ^observed more
frequently than in any. Othii- couiitw??- ' According* to ‘ Mr.
Harting; one shot on -Breydon Waler, on the 14th April,
1849, is in the Museum of Bu ry at. Edmunds, and another
Norfolk-killed specimen is in the- "Wi-sJbeaeh- Museum (Hbk.
Brit. B. p. 171). Mr. J. H. Gurney mentions an adult male
obtained on -tbg ,31st -July; ;a male and female on-the 1st
September, 18,49; an adult on the 24th May, 1850 ; and a
male .i|jr summer plumage in the early part of July- 1'SvM.
—all near Yarmouth^^üoolVpp. 25697 2592,- 2853, S2#5|%
Returning to the South ?'coa:st, Mr. Av E. KndxAtates- that
there'll a specimen in hisr collection, shot‘nc^r R ^ f and
another in the ^bmch|ster-Museum, killed at; .Selsjaj on the
31st of March,'l?§t2*(Orn. RamMe&fp. 25#)v The late Mr.
Rodd says that in &;prlvite^fl%è^hrat Rehzanbe!therö is
a Gull-billei Tern p r e s e n ^ ^ y the late -.Rev. -Mr. fö k& È
South Hill; together With a of an egg which droned
when he shot the' bird h-eai^Bfighton. On tbé'v14tlï5 May,
1872, Baron A7*¥on Hugcl obt ained-bnh'hear-ChnstcKU-felf,
Hants (Zöol. 3 4 4 ||| which Hei:hal%restèhtTdd^ls #ïë
BritishMuseum; "and; a’ceoi’ding ftTMih J. Gafeombe, ImHtos
procured hear Plymouth!® the autumn of 1806^Zlfolr s.s?
"p. 557). About thé enehof Mal^drhe^inhfn^'of June, 1852,
the RëvvJohn Jenkinsón shótf am'ardult nêhTrTrësdéëi\:Hbfej",
Scilly (Zoql. p. 8336);; -and c on“ the lït®%hly; M872, Mr.
Rodd examinéd a- female bird in sumncrer pluih^ej^hich^as
killed at St. Just,, near» jBenEanGe (Zook s^sf pi 31S||^& Tl§|7
ovary*in this specimen contained a large hunch of-eggs>
yarying in size from swanshot downwards.
It is not -remarkable that this —widely-distributed -Tern
should- occasionally yisifrEngla-nd; .seeing that- it still breeds:
in several localities’.' on the coast and islands Belonging to
Denmark., although not found to the north of that country.
TfeGermany, thëTNetherlands, and the north"of France it'
is an ^ accidental visitor, but ^southwards i t breeds ’in ''the-
Camarguey and "On thé coast of • Spain, especially on the
Sandbanks between "Cadiz and A e oPortuguese- frontier; In
Central Europe; Italy, and the neighbouring, islands of the
Mediterranean, it appears to'be only 'a visitor'on migration ;
but it breeds in*»' Greed^:Türkby, -Southern- Russia; oh the
(Caspian, and OUthe salt lakes'óf Turkestan-; also in Asia.
Minor, Lower 'Egypt, and along thé coast and. lagoons of
Northern Africa. It frequents- AéfUpjóeT Nile and the1 Red
Sea, and* brêèds%n* several- ofthe islands in thedPersia A Gulf;
also OU'thedsfkéS/# Kashmir; it -visits Indik during thé cool
Reason in considerable numbers^! and iti-oecfers* in,ï*Ceylom
I-tsThréedteg rrahge^e^®Siisad&ss the '’temperate portion s 'd f
Asia,* as' PiyëvfSskybféuhdfifc breeding in the Hoang-ho valley.
inHhe south-'pfMongolia'; and Swinhoe obtained" it&n winter
dress-atk®oy in China. iAiouthwardsit.is found throughout,
the Ha stern Archipelago#;* andin Australia, breeding: in the’
inland lagoons, Aid ranging ^northwards through the Malay
ifègpÉn to ^GéyMn duringAhèWcot^lr- s#asó'h^r’w3 meettwith a
form whichytfke the Airthern Wife of the Whisk:ëred'*Tern
already mentioüéË,t¥s?slightiy^ale^on; the' upper-parts, and
which is IGould.
In Anneflejt this specie's, which was formerly .distinguished
in^tte^nitedlStatefeast^^imu^df^ch^Wils'ohv is found; ion
thé tèmperate'poï#Oïjsfi©f tbeAaste coast, breeding as far as
Galveston* in- Texas, and ranging southwards toeGtiba, BrazMy
and hèrthOrh' Patfagofeia; prObab%in^e<tenn Brazil; "as
Numerous - examples^ obtaintedi^tóS'ahta sCatarina. are'in full
species iss aj/inis of Ilorsfield
"iWol Appell-fl ; fhe latter'Ravin" appliêaVtlio- nMaeJ'tó‘ the Allied Tern,'
,&ïjtówvHorsfield*