108 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



ARCTIC TURNS EGOS. 



thieving hoody crow being slain out- 

 right. 



When searching for food, the members 

 of this species fly at some little height 

 over the sea, diligently looking for small 

 surface-swimming fishes. Directly one is 

 espied, the bird halts in the air, pauses for 

 an instant to steady itself and then makes 

 a headlong plunge, striking the water 

 with a splash. Many small sand eels are 

 secured for the consumption of the young. 



The Arctic Tern lays two, and occa- 

 sionally three, eggs of a bluish-green 

 or brownish-buff ground colour, spotted 

 and blotched with brown and grey. 

 Generally speaking, no nest of any kind 

 is prepared for their reception, but 

 occasionally a few bits of dead grass 

 or seaweed may be found beneath 

 them. 



At some breeding stations the eggs 

 lie about on sand and shingle in such 

 profusion that it is necessary to ex- 

 amine the ground at every step to 

 avoid treading upon and crushing some 

 of them. 



The chicks leave the nest soon after 

 they have been hatched and crouch 

 amongst the stones and sand, with the 

 colours of which their down frequently 

 harmonises very closely. Later on the 

 clutches mingle with each other to such 

 an extent that it is difficult to under- 

 stand how the parent birds distinguish 

 their own offspring upon returning home 

 with food. 









