VOL. XIV.] THE BLACK TERN. 125 



breast have a wonderful sliecn upon them. The rest of the 

 plumage, when the bird is still, looks like polished gun-metal. 

 They are, in addition, exquisite in outline and every movement 

 is full of dainty grace. About 10.30 (solar time) on this 2gth 

 May they changed places. The male had a blacker breast 

 and no mottling on throat and chin ; he had, however, a 

 well-defined whitish line running from the base of the bill 

 downwards. He only stayed about ten minutes, and this was 



BLACK TERN. 



Suspicious. 

 {Photographed by E. L. Turner.) 



the only occasion during four days on which I saw him brood. 

 He spent all his time flying to and fro over his mate, driving 

 away Redshanks {T. tetanus), Ruffs (P. pvgnax), and other 

 intruders. When he swooped low over the nest, she would 

 look up and reply to his call with soft, low notes ; these were 

 accompanied by a little vibrating movement of her whole 

 body. 



The Black Terns upset all my preconceived notions of how 

 and where they ought to nest. I saw no floating nests any- 

 where. They were nesting en heaps of cut litter in one 



