36 BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL 



During the day the parent birds sit on the nest very Uttle, leav- 

 ing the incubation of the eggs greatly to the heat from the sun and 

 the warmth arising from the damp decaying vegetable matter upon 

 which they rest, for the nests are almost always moist inside. 

 When the site where a colony is breeding is approached nearer than 

 the parent birds deem safe, they make a great clamor, and dart 

 repeatedly at the head of the intruder, occasionally venturing within 

 a foot or two. If the nest of a pair be removed, and the birds 

 left to themselves, they show considerable distress at their loss. 

 Hovering over the spot from which the nest has been taken, they 

 utter incessant cries and frequently alight to look in vain for their 

 lost treasure. All the Terns in the neighborhood join in the cries 

 of the bereaved pair, and the lamentation becomes general. 



I once had the fortune to meet with a young Tern of this species 

 which had evidently^ entered this world but a few hours before. It 

 was a curious-looking little creature, and could swim very well. The 

 following description may convey some idea of its appearance: body 

 covered with a soft, fluffy down ; beneath, pale sooty ; above, obscure 

 yellow, washed with grayish, and tinged with rufous on the posterior 

 parts of the body. Scattered over the upper parts were irregular 

 spots of black. The under surfaces of the wings, lores, and feath- 

 ers next the base of the upper mandible were white. The bill was 

 black, with a white spot at the end of the upper mandible. Legs 

 very dark flesh-color, with a reddish tinge. 



I am of the opinion that these miniature Terns leave the nest 

 very soon after emerging fi-om the egg. The one just described 

 was found swimming about several feet from the nest, while just at 

 the time one of his brothers was working his way into the world by 

 neatly cutting the shell into halves with the point of his bill. 



As soon as the young Terns are able to fl}^ they are conducted to 

 some suitable situation around a pond or lake, where they can sit 

 while the parent birds supply them with food. I once counted 

 thirty-seven sitting thus at one time on four or five panels of fence, 

 which extended from the shore a short distance into a lake. 



MixxEAPOLis, Minn. 



