674 



Crralurj) of Datura! $itgtari) ; 



swallows, notwithstanding their name ; the 

 motions of their long wings are slower, and 

 more in the manner of the gull. They have, 

 however, great powers of wing and strength 

 in the muscles of the neck, which enable 

 them to make such sudden and violent 

 es, and that from a considerable height 



plunges, 

 too, he 



, 



too, headlong on their prey, which they 

 never seize but with their bill's." Mr. Gould, 

 in his great work on the ' Birds of Europe,' 

 says, " The Common Tern does not confine 

 itself entirely to the sea, but frequently re- 

 sorts to inland streams, &c. ; and when thus 

 ascending our creeks and rivers these little 

 fairies of the ocean fearlessly fish around 

 our boats, nothing can be more pleasing than 

 to observe their poise and dip. When with 

 their scrutinizing eyes they have observed a 

 fish sufficiently near the surface, they pre- 

 cipitate themselves upon it with unnerring 

 certainty, and a rapidity that is truly asto- 

 nishing : this mode of capture strongly re- 

 minds us of the fissirostral tribe among the 

 land birds ; and they may indeed be truly 

 termed the swallows of the ocean, their long 

 and pointed wings, and small but muscular 

 bodies, being admirably adapted for rapid 

 and sustained flight, and affording the means 

 by which they are enabled to traverse the 

 surface of the deep with never-tiring wings." 



The LITTLE or LESSEK TEKN (Stertia mi- 

 nuta\ which is only about nine inches in 

 length, looks like the preceding in minia- 

 ture ; is equally if not more delicately ele- 

 gant in its plumage and general appearance, 

 and its manners and habits are very similar ; 

 but it is not nearly so numerous, or so widely 

 dispersed. It differs from the Common Tern 

 in having the black patch on its head 

 bounded by a white line on the front of the 

 brow, and over each eye ; in the tail being 

 wholly white ; and, in proportion to the 

 size of the bird, much shorter or less forked ; 

 while the bill and the feet are more in- 

 clined to orange or yellow. Nothing can 

 exceed the clean, clear, and glossy whiteness 

 of its close-set feathers on the under parts of 

 the body ; but the upper plumage is of a 

 plain lead-coloured gray. The Lesser Tern 

 feeds on beetles, crickets, spiders, and other 

 insects, which it picks up from the marshes, 

 as well as on small fish, on which it plunges 

 at sea. Like the former, it also makes ex- 

 tensive incursions inland along the river 

 courses, and has frequently been shot several 

 hundred miles from the sea. It is extremely 

 tame and unsuspicious, often passing you 

 on its flight, and within a few yards, as it 

 traces the windings and indentations of the 

 shore in search of the various small Crus- 

 tacea on which it delights to feed. Indeed, 

 at such times it appears either altogether 

 heedless of man, or its eagerness for food 

 overcomes its apprehensions for its own 

 safety. The eggs, which are generally four 

 in number, are dropt on the dry and warm 

 sand, the heat of which, during the day, 

 is fully sufficient for the purpose of incuba- 

 tion ; but the parent sits upon them during 

 the night : they are of a yellowish brown 

 colour, and nearly an inch and three-quarters 

 long. This bird is met with in the south of 



Russia, and about the Black and Caspian 

 Sea. It also inhabits the shores of England 

 during the summer, where it breeds, and 

 migrates to the south as the cold of autumn 

 approaches. 



TERRAPIN, or BOX - TORTOISE. 

 (Terrapctic.~i A genus of fresh- water Tor- 

 toise ; the breastplate of which is divided 

 into two pieces by a movable articulation ; 

 and they have the power of closing their 

 carapace when the head and limbs are with- 

 drawn into it. 



TERRICOLJE. An order of vermiform 

 animals, of the class A nnelida, including two 

 principal groups, the Earth-worms and the 

 Naiads; the former being terrestrial, and 

 the latter semi-aquatic. The Annelidas of 

 this order have a cylindrical body, tapering 

 to a point at its extremities, and furnished 

 only with several rows of bristles ; which, 

 although frequently invisible to the naked 

 eye, may lie plainly felt by passing the finger 

 along the body from behind forwards ; their 

 points being directed backwards, in order to 

 give the animal a firm hold of the earth 

 through which it is boring. They have nei- 

 ther eyes, antennae, mandibles, eirrhi, nor 

 external gills : their bodies, however, are 

 distinctly divided into segments ; and these 

 are marked by minute spots on each side, 

 which are apertures leading to small re- 

 spiratory sacs. [See EARTH-WORM.] 



TERRIER. (Canis familiaris tcrrarius. ) 

 There are two varieties of this breed of Dogs ; 

 the one smooth, sleek, and of rather slender 

 form ; colour bright black and tan : the other, 

 a hardy and fierce animal, known as the 

 White-haired or Scotch Terrier ; whose 

 rough harsh hair, short muzzle, stout and 

 short- limbs, and dirty white colour, suffi- 

 ciently distinguish it from the former. The 

 English or Common Terrier carries his head 

 high, has a sharp muzzle, quick and bright 

 eye, neat and compact body, erect ears, with 

 the tips sometimes pendulous, legs slender 

 but strong, and the tail erect and stiff. It 

 should be observed, however, that although 

 both these varieties of a bold, active, and use- 

 ful animal are highly valued, and often pre- 

 served in all their purity, mongrel breeds are 

 common ; and therefore very many service- 

 able dogs, usually called Terriers, are every 

 where to be found. Mr. Bell thus speaks 

 of the species : " The Terrier is applied to 

 several purposes in which its diminutive 

 size, its strength, courage, activity, and per- 

 severance are all called into action. In the 

 office of unearthing the fox it is an essential 

 addition to the pack, and a good kennel can 

 scarcely be without them ; and it takes the 

 earth with much eagerness, from which it 

 has received its name. But if the Terrier 

 contribute so much to the enjoyment of the 

 regular sportsman, it offers no less amuse- 

 ment to those of a less dignified character, 

 by the feats it displays in the destruction of 

 minor vermin, the Badger, the Polecat, 

 and the whole tribe of Mustelidce, and par- 

 ticularly the Rat. The clever manner in 

 which it deals with the largest and boldest 

 of these savage creatures, and the rapidity 



