LLANDDWYN 41 



with him. But if the long-winged, light-bodied Tern 

 is to take fish in a dense medium like the sea, it 

 must follow other tactics. Therefore, hovering a 

 considerable height above its surface, it hangs sus- 

 pended a moment upon sighting its victim, then 

 folding its wings, shoots head downward plumb into 

 the water, using the acquired momentum to pursue 

 it through a narrow range should it fail to grip the 

 fish at once in its bill. 



The Tern is without exception the noisiest creature 

 by land or sea. They live literally in a state of per- 

 petual excursions and alarums. There were about 

 five hundred of them on the island, and all their 

 doings and sayings were easily to be observed from 

 Llanddwyn. They have a number of cries, but the 

 commonest of them is a shrill scream with plenty of 

 * r ' in it. This cry never ceases from dawn till dark, 

 and local squabbles occur every few minutes, with 

 sudden congestion of white wings and intenser out- 

 cry. At longer intervals, and with a roughly regular 

 recurrence, a portion of the birds take wing as by 

 simultaneous inspiration, stream in a white band 

 seaward across the black face of the rocks, wreath 

 themselves about their sea-washed bases, then stream 

 up again and, settling, lift their white wings high for 

 a moment like a sudden show of hands, flicker and 

 fold them. The excursion has ceased ; the alarum 

 continues. This is their play, and being so, a suffi- 

 cient reason for its indulgence, but not explaining 

 why a portion of a host of screaming birds launch 

 themselves suddenly upon the air in concerted move- 

 ment, having finished which they mingle again indis- 

 criminately with those that did not accompany them. 



