AMONG THE WATER FOWL 



stones, or had betaken themselves, in small part- 

 ies, for a swim out on the lake. Here I had it 



more impressed 

 upon me than 

 ever that these 

 beautiful and in- 

 nocent - appear- 

 ing species of the 

 Laridae are not 

 always in con- 

 duct what we 

 might expect 

 from appear- 

 ance. I noticed 

 quite frequently 

 that some Tern 

 or Terns would 

 angrily dive 

 down at a young 

 Ring-bill out on 

 the water, and 

 strike it some 

 p re tty hard 

 blows. One of 

 my friends, who 

 returned there 

 later in the sea- 

 son, saw Terns 

 again and again 

 strike a young 

 Gull till the in- 

 nocent head fell, 

 and the bird lay 



" WITHIN FIVE MINUTES SHE ALIT CLOSE TO THE NEST " 

 COMMON TERN, ABOUT TO SETTLE UPON HER EGGS 



'AND SOON ANOTHER, AS SHE WAS COVERING HER EGGS ' 

 THE SAME TERN AS IN ABOVE ILLUSTRATION 



I 5 6 



