y~,2 THE COMMON Tl'.RX. 



\\ MAT a ])it'cc (if wiifk is a TtTuI Imw j^cnlli' in iiislinct I Imw uii- 

 tramniclkil in ili^cursii ni ! in tnnn and ninvini; Imw i-k-.nanl and adiniralile! 

 in action Imw like the swallciw ! in inniiccncc Ikiw like the ib i\ c ! the lieanly nf 

 tlic air! the ])ara<i"on nf sea-l)ird>! 



Terns ai'e the animating; ■'pirits of sninnier seas. Not l)lntl and stnrdy 

 like the CiuUs, they have httle ])hice in winter's stonn, l)ul when the sun has 

 re-estal)hsht(l his doniiniDii and only Ze])hyr pricks tlie caracohng wa\-es. then 

 ilie hlue-L;ra\' (hiintiness of the Tern is as necessar_\- to the scene as are 

 the criss-cross mirrors of tiie anietliystine sea. We hail with delis^ht the 

 appearance in tlie ot^nt;- of a Ijusy. happy conijiany of tlie white-winded l)irds, 

 weaxin;; in the air h\- their incessant ])l\ings a close-nieshed fisher-net, 

 wlierein inanv a luckless niimiow is entangled. Soon a lone strat^gler from 

 out the company drifts shoreward. ])artin,<; the air with graceful wing, now 

 pausing criticalh' o\er a sus])ected t'isli. like some pensi\e mos(|uito with his 

 heak down-turned: now dropping with a splash heneath the wave, or making 

 a nimhle catch at the surface without wetting his ])liuuage. Ever and anon 

 the nutflled undertone of the \\a\es is pierced In' a weird and hal I -petulant 

 cr\-, U'-cr Ic-criw, childish. plainti\-e. yet somehow thrilling and exultant. 

 .\nd as the liird passes to rei'oin his com]3anions. you find he has borne away 

 your fanc\' exeriuore to lio\er where hlue skii's laugh at hlue waters, and 

 iniuimerahle waxelets Iritle with innumerable sunlteams. 



It is passing strange that the Common Tern should lie so little known 

 as a bird of Washington. It is regular and sometimes abumtant during 

 the migrations, at least on Puget Sound, yet none of the older authorities 

 make mention of it. lidson has lioth seen and shot it at Bellingham, 

 and I ha\e taken specimens at P)laine, else we should begin to doubt 

 the exideiice of our eves. There are jierbaps no nesting colonies within 

 the limits of the State, certainh- not along the west shore within the 

 coiitint's of the ( )1\ ni]nades. We b,i\e word howexer, of an extensive ternery 

 f)ff the west coast of \'ancou\er. and others nn(|uestionablv exist in southern 

 Alaska. 



Common Terns nest upon l.iw-lying islands of the largei' interior waters, 

 as well as u])on both coasts. .\ \isit to such an island is a treat, not only 

 l)ecausc one sees eggs enough (if that were possible), but because bu'ds in 

 (|uantit\- maintain an electric atmosphere of exciteiuent which is tonic to 

 jaded ner\es. Ii was once the autlior's good fortune to \isit such a group 

 of islands in Lake lu'ie. L^pon one of tliese. Chicken Island, a gravelly 

 reef of ])crha]>s an acre's extent, we found only a small fisherman's hut and 

 two stunted willow trees, while the birds, to the number of 2000, were every- 

 wdiere. e\en inxading the deserted hut itself. The odor of guano was rather 

 strong, but the sight of the restless, Imvering multitude of "Sea Swallows" 

 luade anvtbint;' endurable. 



