List of Birds observed in Malta and Gozo. 239 



on the 29th July, while paying a visit to the ironclad squadron, 

 which was anchored off the mouth of the Grand Harbour. 

 I shot one on the 4th August in Sliema Creek. It was stand- 

 ing on a fishing-cork, and had been seen in this position for 

 several houi*s, regardless of the ferry-boats which repeatedly 

 passed close to it in the course of the day. As they chiefly 

 confined themselves to the other harbours, on the 6th I or- 

 ganized a regular campaign against them, and found them 

 in abundance fishing in the New-Harbour extension, which 

 was at that time pretty free from shipping. I saw none in the 

 black plumage of summer; all were more or less marked 

 with grey and white. I shot six, the average measurement 

 being fi'om 9^ to 10 inches in length — the larger specimens 

 being males, as is always the case with the different species 

 of the Tern family ; length of wing 8^ inches. It was exr 

 ceedingly interesting to watch their light and rapid move- 

 ments; now dropping suddenly from their airy altitude, 

 splashing the water like a falhng stone, in pursuit of some 

 smaU fish or offal that had attracted their attention, now 

 coursing through the air, in imitation, as it were, of the 

 Swallow tribe. In many parts of the new harbour were placed 

 floating corks to mark certain spots where mines had been 

 laid to blast the rock at the bottom, in order to deepen the 

 anchorage. On most of these corks was to be seen a solitary 

 Tern, quietly watching for some passing fish, to seize it for 

 its prey. They showed no fear of approaching boats. I 

 amused myself for some time with one little fellow, by pulling 

 my skiff to windward and allowing it to drift down towards 

 him. He never moved until I had almost touched him with 

 my hand, and then only to mount a few feet in the air over 

 my head, and alight on the same cork the instant that I had 

 passed. This experiment I repeated several times, with the 

 same result. Occasionally, while within a few inches of him, 

 he would exchange calls with a passing companion. The note 

 was rather a shrill scream . So close did he allow of my ap- 

 proach that I could watch the expression of his little dark 

 Wight eye ; but there was nothing of alarm in it. May be, 

 one reason for his loathness to abandon this particular cork 



s .2 



