AMONG THE WATER FOWL 



stones, or had betaken themselves, in small part- 

 ies, for a swim out on the lake. Here I had it 



more impressed 

 upon me than 

 ever that these 

 beautiful and in- 

 nocent - appear- 

 ing species of the 

 Laridae are not 

 always in con- 

 duct what we 

 might expect 

 from appear- 

 ance. I noticed 

 quite frequently 

 that some Tern 

 or Terns would 

 angrily dive 

 down at a young 

 Ring-bill out on 

 the water, and 

 strike it some 

 p retty hard 

 blows. One of 

 my friends, who 

 returned there 

 later in the sea- 

 son, saw Terns 

 again and again 

 strike a young 

 Gull till the in- 

 nocent head fell, 

 and the bird lay 



WITHIN FIVE MINUTES SHE ALIT CLOSE TO THE NEST" 

 COMMON TERN, ABOUT TO SETTLE UPON HER EGGS 



'AND SOON ANOTHER. AS SHE WAS COVERING HER EGGS 

 THE SAME TERN AS IN ABOVE ILLUSTRATION 



156 



