PLATE II 

 COMMON TERN. Sterna ftuviatilis 



June tfh, 1895. The nest depicted in this Plate was on Staples Island, 

 one of the Fames ; it was built among the drift-weed on the shore, close 

 down to high -water mark. 



As we landed on the island the Common Tern rose in thousands and 

 wheeled screaming above our heads, crossing and re-crossing each other like 

 some whirling snowstorm ; every now and then one bird would swoop down 

 and rush past our heads, screaming, to try and drive us from its nest. In 

 some places it was very difficult to walk without crushing some of the eggs, 

 which lay about all over the ground, so close were they laid to each other. 



Close down to high-water mark we saw quite a number of Arctic Terns, 

 but the chief colony was at one end of the island, distinct from the huge 

 colony of Common Terns. 



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