'il [Vol. xxiii. 



By Mr. W. Bickerton : — 



A very remarkable and highly artistic scries of slides 

 showing the nesting haunts and habits of the five species of 

 Terns which nest in the British Isles. 



Mr. Bickerton explained that he had made a special 

 photographic study of the Tern-family, and that the slides 

 in question represented the results obtained during four 

 successive years. Those of the Roseate Tern were of special 

 interest, inasmuch as they were the first and only series of 

 slides of this species ever taken within the British Isles. 



Many of the slides illustrated the beautiful pose of the birds' 

 wings when fully expanded just at the moment of alighting 

 on the ground after flight, and were much admired by the 

 audience. 



The element of comedy, too, was not lacking, for the last 

 seven slides portrayed a most comical "passage of arms" 

 between a Rabbit and a pair of Arctic Terns, which had 

 made their nest near the entrance to the Rabbit^s burrow. 



I. Sandwich Tern. (^Sterna cantiaca.) 



1. Group of ten nests on the slope of a bare sand-hill. 



2. Group of birds settling on their nests among long 



grass, after being disturbed. 



3. Group of birds nesting round the summit of a sand- 



hill ; one bird being shown in the act of stretching 

 itself. 



4. A young bird and an unhatched egg. 



5. Female about to settle on its nest. 



6. Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) and Sandwich 



Tern at their nests built within 21 inches of one 

 another. 



II. Little or Lesser Tern. (Sterna niinuta.) 



\. Nest on loose shifting sand. 



2. Nest among broken shells. 



3. Bird stepping on to her eggs. 



