[20 
III. When, where, and in what numbers found. 
Both species visit us for the purpose of nesting, arriving in May and departing in 
September or early in October. 
IV. Food. 
Their food consists of tish fry, shrimps, and crustaceans, which they take on the wing. 
V. Characteristics. 
The Terns constitute a sub-family of the numerous family Laride, or Gulls. They are 
exceedingly graceful birds on the wing, their buoyant, gliding flight and deeply-forked tails 
having obtained for them the name of Sea Swallows. 
VI. Protection. 
Wild Birds Protection Act, 1880.—These birds appear in the Schedule, which 
applies to every county in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Any owner, occupier, or other 
person taking, killing, etc., a Tern during close season,* or possessing or selling a Tern 
after 15th March, is liable to a penalty of £1 for each bird. 
Wild Birds Protection Act, 1894.—Eggs protected in the following Counties :— 
Common Tern.— Ene ann: Northumberland (Farne Island) ; Chester ; Dorset (specified 
area). Scornanp: Berwick ; Dumbarton; Fife; Haddington ; Lanark ; and Stirling. 
Lesser Tern.—Enetanp: Dorset (specified area). Wares: Glamorgan. ScoTLann: 
Fife; Stirling. 
In Northumberland (Farne Island) and Fife the eggs of the Sandwich, Roseate, and 
Arctic 'lerns are also protected. 
The eggs of all species are protected in the following counties :— 
Enatanp: Cumberland; Norfolk; and the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. ScoTLAND : 
Argyll (Isles of Islay, Colonsay, Coll, and Tiree) ; Orkney. 
And also in the breeding areas in the following counties :— 
Enetanp: Northumberland (Holy Island); York (East Riding); Cambridge ; 
Chester; Norfolk; East Suffolk; Devon; Essex; Isle of Wight. Scornann: 
Fife (Tentsmuir). 
Any owner, occupier, or other person taking or destroying the eggs of Terns in above- 
named places is liable to a penalty of £1 for each egg. 
Wild Birds Protection Act, 1896.—In addition to any penalty under the Act of 1880 
the Court may now order any trap, net, snare, etc., used by the offender to be forfeited. 
VII. Remarks. 
The members of the family to which the Terns belong are remarkable for the beauty 
and compactness of their plumage, the charming contrasts between sharply-defined black, 
white, and delicate pearl greys, the snowy whiteness of the under parts, in some species 
suffused with a blush of lovely rosy hue. 
It is a lovely morning in early May, the tide is rapidly flowing over the shallow sandy 
beach, the ripples, dancing in the sunlight, lave the thirsty shore, and the sand eels and 
shrimps, liberated from their hiding places, once more delight in the returning flood ; off the 
shore small shoals of baby fish swim along close to the surface, sometimes springing into the 
* Generally from 1st March to 31st July ; but in some counties from 1st February to 31st August in each 
year. A further period may be obtained through the Act of 1896. 
