98 The Wilson Pnilletin.— No. 44. 



was better concealed among the weeds with large leaves. 

 Among the pebbles and stones the Common was the more 

 readily seen. The underparts of the young Common were en- 

 tirely pure white, but of the Roseate with a faint tint of cream 

 or even rosy. 



The Weepecket terns seemed to feed almost wholly in the 

 vicinity of Woods Holl. They ranged from Quisset to the 

 bathing beach or even all along the west shore of Penzance, 

 Great and Little Harbor, and the region of Vineyard Sound 

 bordering the harbors, and in Hadley Harbor. Some range 

 farther, of course, but the birds feeding young appeared to 

 content themselves with the region named. 



Unlike the gulls, the terns do not swallow the food and then 

 regurgitate for the young, but carry the fish in the beak di- 

 rectly to the young. After studying the feeding process at 

 close range for some time, I became convinced that the old 

 birds do not stviff the fish down the throat of the young, but 

 only thrust its head into the mouth far enough for the throat 

 muscles to grip it, when the young bird swallows for himself. 

 The Sand Lance ( Ammodytes americanns) was the chief fish 

 food, probably because it is so soft and easily digested. A 

 four-inch fish could not manage to get wholly inside a four- 

 inch bird, so the tail was left sticking out for future consump- 

 tion ! Even with the young able to fly the fish's head rested in 

 the primitive gizzard while the tail was scarcely more than 

 concealed in the throat. Mr. Field induced one Muskeget 

 young Common Tern to part with his dinner of two young 

 Herrings and one Sand Lance. Usually but a single fish was 

 found in the digestive tract of the young. 



The downy young merely raised their heads and opened 

 their mouths for food, when very hungry uttering a faint peep, 

 but the young ones able to fly were made to dance for their 

 dinner. With widely gapping mouth and wings held akimbo, 

 they executed a surprisingly fine clog to their own piercing 

 music ! In one case a young bird called for lunch just 30 minutes 

 after receiving a good sized fish. He was not fed, however, 

 until half an hour after his last lunch. I have repeatedly seen 

 the old birds swallow three and four Sand Lances in rapid 

 succession. This colony of 1500 old birds and their 1500 



