NATURAL HISTORY. 



377 



Sub-family c. Sicrnince. 



STERNA. 



Hirundo (Lat. a Swallow), the Common Tern. 



bee 1 ! found in North America. It preys on fish, which it 

 snatches from the surface with unerring aim, as it skims over 

 the waves with astonishing velocity. 



The nest of this bird is made on the sand above high-water 

 mark, and contains two or three eggs, on which the female 

 usually sits by night. The length of the common Tern is 

 about fourteen inches. 



The Noddy, so frequently celebrated by travellers who have 

 passed the equator, is a species of Tern. 



THE TROPIC BIRD. 



The TROPIC BIRD, as its name imports, is seldom seen many 

 degrees beyond the tropics, although a storm occasionally drives 

 it from its accustomed habitat. 



Its rapid flight seems to be accomplished almost without 

 the aid of wings. It preys extensively on the flying-fish, 

 who frequently escapes his airy foe but to fall into the jaws 

 of some rapacious rover of the deep. It has been known to 



