Song Birds and Water Fowl 

Terns will at times plunge entirely under 
water, and even swim submerged a short dis- 
tance in pursuit of prey. In such occupation 
they sometimes display the very keenest spirit 
of mirth ; for one of them, bearing aloft a capt- 
ured fish, will drop it, when it is seized, before 
reaching the water, by another that sportively 
repeats the act, and so the graceful, airy game 
goes on. The most beautiful of all the species 
is the roseate tern, whose other features resemble 
the ‘‘ Wilson ’’ or sea swallow, but having alsoa 
rosy tint on the under side that glows in fine con- 
trast with its otherwise pure white and pearly 
plumage. The roseate tern is somewhat abun- 
dant at Muskegat, but I looked in vain for any 
at Penekese. The rosy tint is, however, very 
ephemeral, either disappearing utterly after the 
bird dies, and even sometimes before the body 
is cold, or else changing to a lifeless salmon 
color. 
I necessarily lost a little of my reverence for 
the eggs from having eaten them, and because, in 
point of beauty, they are no match for the birds 
themselves ; and I accordingly carried away a 
few as asouvenir of a most enjoyable excursion. 
I doubt very much whether the sad and lonely 
cry of the sea swallows be a fair index of their 
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