12G BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xiv. 



locality, and on Texel they nested with Redshanks, Reeves 

 and Lapwings {V. vancUus) on the long narrow meadows 

 between the dykes. There was no real nest — just a scrape 

 lined with a very few bits of dead reed or grass ; in this the 

 three eggs were laid. On Texel they did not seem to nest in 

 colonies as other Terns do, there would be a few nests on one 

 meadow and some on another. These " meadows " are 

 narrow strips of rough herbage lying between dykes. This 

 made it difficult to catch the young birds, and I failed to 

 find them. As soon as you appeared the old birds gave the 

 alarm and the young birds hid in the coarse grass. All day 

 long the non-brooding birds flew to and fro over the dykes 

 hawking for insects, and occasionally swooping down after 

 fish. 



Last August, when sailing on Hickling Broad, I saw a little 

 flock of seven young Black Terns — birds of the year. They 

 were very pale grey on the back, and had a very distinct dark 

 ring part of the way round the neck. For the moment I 

 wondered what they could be, then my mind went back to 

 the long, lonely days spent with Black Terns in their own 

 breeding areas. 



Since they are less particular in their choice of a nesting-site 

 than we have been led to suppose, there seems no reason 

 why Black Terns should not return to nest with us ; they are 

 common enough on the south and east coasts during migra- 

 tion. As Holland reclaims more and more of her wet lands, 

 her vast number of birds must surely diminish or else seek 

 fresh breeding places. Let us hope some of them will come 

 to us. 



