LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN GUULS AND TERNS. 315 



the parent bird's bill as the fish is being dropped, and then pick it up as a tiny 

 chicken would pick up moistened bread. When the young birds commence to 

 show their feathers they are fed whole fish by the parent bird. The fish is 

 carried crosswise in the bill of the parent from where they are secured to the 

 nesting grounds and is handed direct to the young bird. If by chance the 

 parent bird drops the fish before its young can take it from the bill, the little 

 one will pick it up from the ground by turning its head and bill sidewise. 

 This is not a difficult accomplishment, as the difference in length between the 

 upper and lower mandibles is very slight at this period. 



From their earliest stage the young skimmers have a habit of scratching 

 tliemselves into a hollow and lying absolutely flat upon the shell-covered beach. 

 While this habit is displayed mostly. by the downy young, I have seen it ex- 

 hibited to a great extent by the feathered young when the young birds are able 

 to run about and danger threatens. Then they will throw themselves flat on 

 the shells of the beach and scratch alternately with their little webbed feet 

 backward. They make about 15 or 20 movements before they snuggle down 

 to rest, and while their legs are in action they make the shells fly most ener- 

 getically. When the hollow is dug sufficiently to allow them to lie flush with 

 the surrounding beach they remain absolutely motionless, and as their colora- 

 tion is such as to indicate that nature has provided a protective mimicry, yet 

 they are not difficult to detect; and, as the accompanying photographs show, 

 they stand away from their surroundings most vividly. The chirp of the 

 young is no different from that of the other sea birds, such as the laughing 

 gulls and the terns, and they show the same marked instinct of recognizing 

 their parents' raucous cries from the other alarms. 



Plumages. — The young skimmer when first hatched is completely 

 covered with soft, thick down, pale " vinaceous buff " above, lightly 

 mottled with dusky on the back, and only faintly so mottled on the 

 head, the under parts being pure white. As the youngster spends 

 most of its time lying flat on the sand, its protective coloration con- 

 ceals it admirably. It fades so invisibly into its surroundings that 

 it is liard to realize that it is a living bird. During the downy stage 

 it well knows the value of the hiding pose, and lies prostrate on the 

 sand with head outstretched and eyes closed until touched, when 

 it runs away with surprising agility. The razor-shaped bill is 

 apparent even in the youngest chick, but the specialized bill of the 

 adult is not fully developed until the flight stage is reached. The 

 youngest birds are fed on semidigested food from the parent's throat, 

 but after a few days they learn to run about, and are gradually 

 taught to feed on more solid food, principally small fish. When the 

 young birds have attained their growth and have acquired the 

 Juvenal plumage, before they learn to fly. they gather in flocks and 

 learn to feed on what they can pick up along the water's edge. At 

 this time the mandibles are of equal length. The long lower man- 

 dible of the adult would be a serious handicap in feeding, and there- 

 fore it is not developed until the bird has learned to skim the surface 

 of the water for its food. 



