398 LABID.E 



they were scarce able to submerge themselves, yet they 

 must have struck the bottom in their descent. I found 

 shrimps and tiny crabs swarming on the bed of the channel, 

 on which these Terns were feeding. It is a proof of the 

 remarkably keen sight of these birds that from a height 

 in the air they can spy their quarry, not only when it 

 is swimming immediately under the surface of the water, 

 but when the little creatures are crawling or even standing 

 motionless on the bottom, perhaps half buried in the sand 

 with which they almost exactly correspond in colour. 

 I have seen Little Terns, when not engaged in fishing, 

 gather into a small, closely-packed flock, which, after 

 flitting about over the sea, broke up, many of the birds 

 ascending to an immense height until their beautiful white 

 feathers stood out in bold relief against the deep blue sky, 

 while their vibrating pinions glistened like silver as the 

 rays of the summer sun danced upon them. I have seen a 

 couple of immature birds accompany a flock of Sanderlings, 

 skimming over the breakers with rapid beat of wing, 

 returning again to alight at the edge of the tide. 



Flight. The flight resembles that of other Terns. The 

 wide spread of wing and long pointed pinions, give the 

 bird the appearance of being larger than it really is. The 

 same holds good for the Common and Arctic Terns, which, 

 on the wing, appear almost to equal the Black-headed 

 Gull in size. 



Voice. When not annoyed, this species produces a 

 note which sounds as pir-re-pirr&. When the nest is too 

 closely approached, and especially when the young are 

 about, a highly-pitched but angry little bark, sounding 

 like jep-jep-jeppd-jep-jep, is uttered. 



Food. Fish are largely consumed, chiefly herring-fry ; 

 also shrimps and small crabs. I have seen Little Terns, 

 especially immature birds, foraging with Turnstones under 

 rotting seaweed for sand-hoppers. 



Nest. The nests, of which several in a colony may be in 

 close proximity, are often found on sandy beaches, amid 

 broken shells and bits of seaweed. In some cases but a 

 slight hollow in the bare sand is made to accommodate the 

 eggs ; in other cases, I have seen perfect little nests more 

 deeply sculptured, and lined with fragments of broken 

 shells. In many instances I have detected a bare ' girdle ' 

 or ' zone ' of sand denuded of shells, immediately surround- 

 ing the mouth of the nest, from which, in all probability, 



