On Sea and Shore. 223 



above our heads. At last we reach the colony of 

 Sandwich Terns, and there we find for an area of 

 many square yards the ground literally covered so 

 closely with eggs that to walk amongst them with- 

 out breaking them is almost an impossible feat, not 

 only because the nests are but a few feet apart, but 

 because the eggs themselves so closely resemble the 

 ground in colour. The nests are slight enough, 

 many of them nothing but hollows in the ground, 

 some of them with a few bits of weed and grass 

 loosely arranged, and chiefly round the margin. The 

 two, or less frequently three, eggs are very beautiful 

 objects, and vary enormously in the character of the 

 markings. The ground colour may be any shade 

 between rich buff and dull white; the markings are 

 brown of many shades, and ink-gray. These latter 

 vary considerably in shape and size, from large 

 irregular blotches that conceal nearly a third of the 

 shell to splashes, spots, and streaks, sometimes 

 distributed over the entire surface, or in zones, or 

 irregularly here and there. During the whole 

 period of our stay the birds remain above us, 

 fluttering and gliding to and fro uttering shrill notes 

 of alarm. 



The Arctic Tern, on an average, arrives later than 

 the preceding species, generally about the first week 

 in May, sometimes not before the third week in that 

 month. A week or so elapses before the birds 



