

NODDY TERN. 569 



sitting on their eggs. In a great many instances, the re- 

 paired nests formed masses nearly two feet in height, and 

 yet all of them had only a slight hollow for the eggs, broken 

 shells of which were found among the entire ones, as if they 

 had been purposely placed there. The birds did not dis- 

 continue their labours, although there were nine or ten of 

 us walking among the bushes, and when we had gone a few 

 yards into the thicket, thousands of them flew quite low over 

 us, some at times coming so close as to enable us to catch a 

 few of them with the hand. On one side might be seen a 

 Noddy carrying a stick in its bill, or a bird picking up some- 

 thing from the ground to add to its nest ; on the other, 

 several were seen sitting on their eggs unconscious of danger, 

 while their mates brought them food. The greater part rose 

 on wing as we advanced, but re-alighted as soon as we had 

 passed. The bushes were rarely taller than ourselves, so 

 that we could easily see the eggs in the nests. This was quite 

 a new sight to me, and not less pleasing than unexpected. At 

 the approach of a boat, the Noddies never flew off their island, 

 in the manner of the Sooty Terns. They appeared to go 

 farther out to sea than those birds in search of their food, 

 which consists of fishes mostly caught amid the floating sea- 

 weeds, these Terns seizing them, not by plunging perpen- 

 dicularly downwards, as other species do, but by skimming 

 close over the surface in the manner of Gulls, and also by 

 alighting and swimming round the edges of the weeds. This 

 I had abundant opportunities of seeing while on the Gulf 

 of Mexico. The flight of this bird greatly resembles that 

 of the Night-hawk when passing over meadows or rivers. 

 When about to alight on the water, the Noddy keeps its 

 wings extended upwards and touches it first with its feet. 

 It swims with considerable buoyancy and grace, and at 

 times immerses its head to seize on a fish. It does not see 

 well by night, and it is for this reason that it frequently 

 alights on the spars of vessels, where it sleeps so soundly 

 that the seamen often catch them. When seized in the 

 hand it utters a rough cry, not unlike that of a young 

 American Crow taken from the nest. On such occasions it 

 VOL. in. 4 D 



