File:Hand-book to the birds of Great Britain (1894) (14561971939).jpg

Identifier: handbooktobirdso04shar (find matches)
Title: Hand-book to the birds of Great Britain
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: Sharpe, Richard Bowdler, 1847-1909
Subjects: Birds -- Great Britain
Publisher: London, Allen
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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two occurrences of the bird in autumn, one having beenkilled near Ilfracombe in North Devonshire in November,while another was shot in Dublin Bay in October, 1841. Twoothers have been shot in Ireland in spring. Range outside the British Islands.—The present species nests inthe marshes of Central and Southern Europe and throughouttemperate Asia to China, wintering all over Africa, certain partsof India and Ceylon, and throughout the Malayan Archipelagoto Australia and New Zealand. It occasionally wanders toAmerica, where it has been recorded from Wisconsin and fromBarbados. Habits.—These appear to be very similar to those of theBlack Tern, in company with which it nests in Central Europe,but in Southern Russia Mr. Howard Saunders says that largeand distinct colonies are formed. The flight is said by thesame observer to be more rapid and its note to be harsher thanthat of H\ ?iigra, but its food is similar to that of the last-named species. Nest.—Similar to that of the Black Tern.
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i GULL-BILLED TERN. II Esgs.—Three in number. Ground-colour deep clay oistone-buff with an olive shade, spotted with chocolate-brown,deepening to blackish and forming irregular blotches ondifferent parts of the egg, as much in the middle as towardsthe end of the latter. The underlying marks of grey are notvery evident. Axis, i35-i45; diam., o-95-i-o5. THE GULL-BILLED TERNS. GENUS GELOCHELIDON. Gelochelido7t, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 774 (1831.) Type, G. anglica (Mont.) In this genus the outer tail-feathers are very pointed, andexceed the others in length. The bill is very stout and obt^jse ;the tarsus is longer than in most of the Terns, and exceedsthe middle toe and claw in length; the tail is short, beingless than half the length of the wing. The single species, G. anglica^ is found in the temperate andwarm portions of the Atlantic Ocean on both sides, also in theIndian Ocean and Australian seas, but it is not known fromthe Pacific side of America. L THE GULL-BILLED TERN. GELOCHEL

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