12 NATURE STUDY. 



ing into the air in spirals till they seem only white dots, 

 or following a steamer for hours with no apparent wing 

 motion. A Tern never soars ; his wing beats are continu- 

 ous, though not hurried, and give one the impression of 

 great power and endurance. They fly along the shore in 

 pairs or in straggling flocks, sometimes close to the water, 

 often at a good height. A bird sees something suspicious 

 and poises, fluttering just like a kingfisher, then darts like 

 a shot. A foot from the water, perhaps, wings and tail are 

 spread, and the bird shoots upward again without wetting 

 a toe. Next time there no mistake, and our tern dives 

 like an osprey, making the water fly, and emerges in an in- 

 stant with a little, silvery fish crossways in its bill. It must 

 be admitted that the gulls are of more service to man. The 

 terns of our coast are supposed to confine their diet chiefly 

 to fish, though insects are by no means despised when at- 

 tainable. They are more dainty in appetite, as well as in 

 form, than their cousins, the famous scavengers. 



Terns are always connected in my mind with the old fish 

 weirs that line the harbors and shores along Vineyard 

 Sound. A row of spiles extends a hundred yards out from 

 the beach, supporting a net that guides the fish to the trap 

 that is held in place by a forest of stakes. This for the 

 terns, is as much a place for recreation as for business. 

 They sit on the stakes, always facing the wind, watching 

 for the small fish, occasionally darting at a neighbor and 

 pushing him off his perch, a feat that is apt to start a doz- 

 en of them into a wild lark in mid-air, chasing, dodging, 

 and keeping up a terrific clatter of harsh cries. 



One may sometimes see a weir covered with white birds, 

 not only the posts, but the connecting ropes oeing lined 

 with as niany as can find a foothold, while others circle 

 about looking for room. Another weir, close by, may not 

 have a visitor. The terns render fishermen a real service. 

 They are always the first to discover the schools of fish that 



