754 THE TEEN. 



tipi The Scissor-bill skims just over the surface of the sea, its knife-like bill cutting 

 through the water, and picking up the crustaceans, molluscs, and fish that come to the 

 surface. While thus darting along, the bird utters loud and exultant cries. It does not, 

 however, trust solely to the wide seas for its food, for, according to Lesson, who was an 

 eye-witness of the scene, the bird feeds much upon bivalves, adroitly inserting its beak 

 into their shells as they lie open, and then banging the shell against a rock or stone, so as 

 to break the hmge and expose the inhabitant, which is immediately scooped out and 

 swallowed. 



The Scissor-bill is found along the coast of America and part of Africa. It breeds on 

 marshes and sandy islands, laying three eggs of a white colour spotted with ash. The 

 colour of this bird is dark brown on the top of the head and upper surface, with a bar of 

 white across the wings, and the under surface white. Its length is about twenty inches. 



•v^w^ ■*• 







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TERN. — Sterna liirundo. 



The common Tern, or Sea Swallow, is very plentiful on our coasts, and may be 

 seen flying along on rapid wing, its long forked tail giving it so decidedly a swallow-like 

 air, that its popular name of Sea Swallow is well applied. 



It is mostly seen on the wing, not often going to shore, except during the breeding- 

 season, but reposing occasionally on floating logs of wood, buoys, and similar resting- 

 places. Its food consists mostly of small fish, which it obtains by darting down from the 

 air upon them. When seeking for food it does not rise to any great elevation, but hovers 

 at a few feet above the water ready to pounce upon a passing fish that may be unwary 

 enough to come to the surface, and sufficiently small to be eaten. Sand eels are said to 

 be a fiivourite article of food with the Tern. It is a noisy bird, ever on the move, chasing 

 its companions when it is tired of fishing, and uttering contiiuially its loud jarring cry. 



The Tern breeds on the low-lying lands, and makes a very rude nest, being indeed 

 nothing more than a shallow depression in the earth into which are scraped a few sticks, 

 stones, and dry grasses. The Tern reaches this country about May and departs in 

 September. An adult bird in summer plumage has the tip of the head and nape of the 

 neck jetty black, the uj)per part of the body ashen grey, the under surface white, and the 

 legs, feet, and bill coral-red, the bill deepening into black at the tip. The length of the 

 Tern rather exceeds fourteen inches ; much of it is due to the long forked feathers of 

 the tail. 



