302 THE LAEID^E. 



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admiration to every lover of nature. You may see a pair coming 

 up from a distance, flying at the height of a few yards over the 

 waves, their long wings winnowing the air and impelling them on 

 by starts as they wind their way in undulating and graceful 

 movements. Suddenly their flight is arrested over a large pool 

 left on the sands by the retreating tide. With quick beats of 

 their wings they hover almost stationary over the water, with 

 downward-pointed bills, intently searching for their prey beneath. 

 One drops with upraised wings, dips for a moment, and rises 

 with a small fish in its bill; the other is equally successful. 

 Onward they proceed, now and then emitting their shrill cry. 

 Far ahead is seen a flock engaged in picking up their prey, and 

 onward the stragglers speed to join their kindred. " 



The Little Tern has the bill slightly longer than the head, and, 

 like the Common Tern, slender, nearly straight, much compressed, 

 tapering, and acute ; the eyes and feet small ; plumage soft 

 and blended ; wings long, narrow, and pointed ; tail long and 

 deeply forked ; upper part of the head and nape black ; neck, back, 

 and wings light greyish blue ; hind part of the back and tail white ; 

 length to the end of the tail about ten inches ; wings twenty-one 

 inches. 



This species reaches our shores in the beginning of May, and 

 settles along the whole eastern and southern coast, from the Land's 

 End to the Orkneys, but is rare on the west coast. The Firth of 

 Forth, the sands of Barry, near Dundee, a place at the mouth of 

 the Don, and another at the Ythan, are noted as their haunts, as are 

 the sands of Strathbeg Loch, and the sands between Burghead and 

 the mouth of the Findhorn. It is also abundant on the sea-coasts 

 of Holland and France, where it feeds on fish-spawn and small 

 winged insects. 



The Noddy (Sterna stolida), which frequents rivers and the 

 borders of lakes, especially marshes, makes its nest among the 

 reeds and water-lily leaves : this is the species most plentiful in 

 America. The Silver- winged Tern (Sterna leucoptera] inhabits the 

 bays and gulfs of the Mediterranean, and is only an accidental 

 visitor to the north of France. The Arctic Tern (Sterna arctica) 

 is a native of the Arctic Circle, and regularly visits the sea- 

 coast of the north of France. We may also mention the Whis- 



