COMMON TERN. 641 



length, an inch and two-twelfths in breadth ; but they vary 

 much in size, and considerably in form, being roundish-oval, 

 regular oval, oblong-oval, sometimes rather pointed; their 

 ground colour yellowish-grey, pale greenish-brown, greenish- 

 blue, with blotches and spots of brown, sometimes mixed 

 with purplish-grey. The birds usually sit upon them by 

 day, unless in simny weather, or when they are much dis- 

 turbed, and always at night, as well as when the air is moist. 

 On going up to a breeding-place, which may always be dis- 

 covered from a distance, as some of the birds are to be seen 

 flying about it, one is sure to be met by several of them, 

 which hasten to remonstrate with him by harsh cries and 

 threatened blows; as he draws nearer, more of them leave 

 their nests ; and at length they are all on wing, wheeling 

 and bounding, now high now low, at times coming quite 

 close, and increasing their cries, which resemble the syllables 

 cree, cree, cree-ae. 



When walking along the sandy shore — no bird nearer, 

 perhaps, than a quarter of a mile — you may see one or two of 

 them coming up from a distance, increasing their cries as they 

 approach, then wheeling and plunging over and around you, 

 and at length flying off". Proceeding at a moderate height, 

 they stop now and then, hover a moment, dip into the water, 

 and secure a sand-eel or young coal-fish. Many attend on 

 the fishermen or others who are catching sand-eels for bait 

 or food, to pick up those which slip from them disabled. On 

 such occasions they are very vociferous, as they also are when 

 they have fallen in with a shoal of fry. They never dive ; but 

 I have often seen them alight on the water and swim a little, 

 and sometimes a whole flock may be observed reposing on 

 the placid bosom of the waters, afibrding a very pleasing 

 spectacle. They are very bad walkers, but on Aving their 

 movements are easy and elegant ; they skim along, boundingly, 

 with great speed, ascend or descend, deviate to either side, 

 stop short in an instant, hover in one spot like a hawk, drop, 

 dive, or plunge headlong with surprising adroitness. Their 

 mode of flying, however, does not resemble that of a swallow, 

 and they obtain the popular name of Sea-Swallows rather on 

 account of their forked tail. 



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