LITTLE-TERN 107 



have never been struck by a Sandwich-tern, though I have often 

 handled their eggs and young, and I find this to be the experience 

 of others. Its enemies are those of the rest of its genus. 1 Of the 

 manner of its departure little is known. On quitting the breeding- 

 grounds the birds do not necessarily move southward. A young bird 

 of the year, ringed at Ravenglass when a nestling (June 30, 1909), was 

 captured thirty to forty miles north of that place on August 20th. 2 It 

 seems, therefore, that the Sandwich-terns linger about our coasts 

 awhile before the southward movement begins, and this no doubt, 

 as in the case of other terns, takes place in a leisurely manner. 



LITTLE-TEKN 

 [F. B. KIRKMAN] 



The little-tern is peculiar in having the front part of the crown 

 white in summer as well as in winter ; its congeners have it in 

 winter only. It is, further, easily distinguished from them by its 

 smaller size, being not much larger than a song-thrush, except in 

 length of wing. It makes up for its size by its aggressive noisiness, and 

 may often be seen racing on the wing up and down the beach in a 

 state of fussy alarm, ready to make a prompt attack on any crow or 

 gull that happens to cross over its breeding-ground. What, no doubt, 

 increases its general air of alacrity is the fact that its wings, being 

 shorter than those of the larger species, are beaten more quickly, giving 

 it, comparatively speaking, the appearance of being always in a hurry. 



The usual notes uttered by the species when it sees its breeding- 

 ground invaded, is a sharp excited kweek, uttered often in conjunction 

 with a sound like tik, in varying combination, e.g. kweek, tik, tik, kweek, 

 tik, tik, tik, or kweek, kweek, kweek, tik, kweek, kweek. . . . Both notes may 

 be uttered separately. A familiar note, often heard as the bird flies 



1 See p. 92. British Birds, Hi. 181. 



