LOWER KLAMATH LAKE 



801 



Altlioiii>li tlic blind was erected with no atteni])t at con- 

 cealment, tlic adults, all screaming, came l)ack in a body al- 

 most as soon as I had disappeared witliin it, and I shortly 

 experienced the satisfaction of beino- snrronnded l)y this, the 

 largest and, in Xoitli America at least, one of the rarest 

 members of its genus. All wore the shining black cap with 

 elongated crest feathers, and had the bright coral red bill of 

 the nuptial season. 



Caspian Terns 



As, with gracefully uplifted wings, the daintily plnm- 

 aged birds alighted, the young, doubtless in response to 

 their calls, ran out from the reeds and then ensued the usual 

 squabbling until the chicks, finding their own parents, were 

 snugly nestled under the silky white breasts. On these oc- 

 casions they sometimes fought three-cornered duels, but as 

 the sex of the contestants was unknown, I could not surmise 

 the meaning of the struggle. 



Like the young of the Common Tern and doubtless also 

 of the other members of this subfamily, the young Caspian 



