36 BEACH GRASS 



Today all this is changed. Thanks to broader 

 views and the teachings of ornithologists in gen- 

 eral and of the Audubon Societies in particular, 

 and by reason of laws enacted through their ef- 

 forts, people are beginning to realize the justice 

 and importance of preserving these birds. Their 

 sense of moral fitness has been aroused, they be- 

 gin to feel the value of the birds from a purely 

 aesthetic point of view as adding beauty and in- 

 terest to the landscape, although few realize the 

 importance of preserving them as a sacred trust 

 for future generations. 



In 1921, by the middle of May, terns had be- 

 come common at Ipswich beach, arriving from 

 the South. On June 12 there were over three 

 hundred there, mostly the common species but 

 a few roseate terns were to be seen. This latter 

 species is easily distinguished from the common 

 tern by its longer, slimmer shape, by its bill 

 which is wholly black, instead of being red with 

 a black tip, and by its voice, for it emits at fre- 

 quent intervals a rather sweet double plover-like 

 note — tu-wit — and a loud harsh scream that 

 closely resembles that made by tearing cloth. 



