Breeding habits of the terns Dress is Me 170 1875 July 20 Through the soil, On this and a neigh- boring small island (Gunk of Port) I am breeding about 20 pairs of Chroic atricilla, 6 do of Sterna hirundo 15 do S. macrura, and perhaps 10 pairs of S. paradisica. In addition to this, are a colony of Eophy riparia (did not see any sandbank) members of Tringa macularia and very abundantly Passerculus parvanna. The terns were very shy, the gulls much less so. I shot 5 of the latter shortly after landing, losing one however which fell in the water. Finding that more of the terns would come within range I concealed myself in the long grass and in an hour better took 6 S. macrura and 3 S. hirundo. The difference between the notes of S. hirundo & macrura are very slight and although I confirmed such decisions by shooting the bird, Still I am not sure that I could pronounce safely in all cases. S. macrura seems to possess all the notes of S. hirundo but they are all rather harsher & more rancous (especially the scolding ones). I could not detect the slightest difference in flight or actions. The S. paradisica were the shyest of all but I am sure of my identification as the cloth ripping note is not to be mistaken. They seemed to keep by themselves and I everal times saw what was probably the whole colony from 15 or 20 bird flying along together in a close body. Some of these birds would 'hone' on