played with mostly all the Divers. Since that time I have only twice taken the nest of the Great Northern Diver, 1891 and 1893; each time one nest only. The gentleman to whom I showed the Blackthroat breeding, and who gave me Saunders's 'Manual,' was Fred Howe Windham, Esq., whose address I do not at present know. His last address three years ago was The Castle, Castlerea, Roscommon. Terns, Common and Arctic, have left; also the majority of sea-birds. Excepting Golden Plover, few winter visitors have yet arrived."—Bernard A.E. Buttress.
Noddy Tern in Cheshire.—The other day, when looking through a collection of stuffed birds, I saw and obtained a specimen which has since been identified as the Noddy Tern, Sterna stolida, Linn.; it is in immature plumage, the grey on the crown being just visible. It was shot on the Dee marshes in winter about six years ago. As I believe this Tern has been only twice recorded in Europe,[1] I think this specimen worth mention.—F. Congreve (Burton Hall, Neston, Chester).
P.S.—I obtained the Noddy from a small private collection belonging to Mr. Lawton, an ex-tenant of my father's. He killed and stuffed it himself. It is at present in our collection at Burton Hall, but it has been identified by the taxidermist of the Liverpool Museum, and by Dr. Herbert Dobie, of Chester.—F.L. Congreve.
Eggs of the Roseate Tern.—With regard to Mr. Potter's remarks on the above (p. 467), my experience, and that of several of my friends, is that we, at any rate, are not able to diagnose with certainty the eggs of these birds from those of the Common and Arctic Terns without further data to go upon. I do not say that Mr. Potter is wrong in his assertions, as it is very unwise to dogmatize on these matters; but I merely state my experience. Everyone who has visited a large breeding haunt of the Arctic or Common Tern knows what an infinite variety the eggs present in form, size, ground colouring, and markings; and with regard to the usual test given in books for eggs of the Roseate Tern, I have seen a pair of Arctic Tern's eggs far more elongated than any Roseate Tern's I have yet examined. I have not examined the shells of any of the three species microscopically. I believe it was Dr. Johnson who remarked that "a wager is the butt-end of a fool's argument," and I should be very sorry to back myself to pick out of a basket containing the eggs of all three species three eggs of the Roseate Tern in three consecutive draws, at the rate of a sovereign an egg; for, from what I have seen, eggs of all three species could be chosen so alike that it would defy the best oologist living to discriminate between them. I may mention that an ornithological friend of mine once backed himself to
- ↑ Two specimens taken off the coast of Wexford, one still preserved in Dublin Museum.—Ed.
