﻿TEE 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  KENT. 
  178 
  

  

  the 
  beach 
  in 
  small 
  clumps 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  about 
  twelve 
  inches 
  — 
  

   the 
  nest-hollow 
  being 
  so 
  much 
  under 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bush 
  as 
  to 
  

   be 
  partially 
  concealed 
  and 
  shaded 
  by 
  its 
  stems 
  ; 
  the 
  remaining 
  

   twelve 
  nests 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  exposed 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  beach. 
  Of 
  

   these 
  seventeen 
  nests, 
  I 
  also 
  noticed 
  that 
  seven 
  were 
  distinctly 
  

   and 
  without 
  doubt 
  paved 
  with 
  small 
  pieces 
  of 
  broken 
  shells, 
  the 
  

   rest 
  being 
  just 
  bare 
  hollows 
  scratched 
  in 
  the 
  sand. 
  The 
  normal 
  

   nest 
  therefore 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  bare 
  hollow 
  scratched 
  out 
  

   in 
  the 
  most 
  exposed 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  beach. 
  Do 
  both 
  these 
  lined, 
  

   and 
  partially 
  concealed, 
  nests 
  point 
  to 
  a 
  gradual 
  alteration 
  in 
  the 
  

   habits 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  specialized 
  nest 
  ? 
  

  

  The 
  colon} 
  7 
  of 
  Lesser 
  Terns 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  under 
  observa- 
  

   tion 
  now 
  for 
  three 
  successive 
  seasons 
  — 
  it 
  is 
  pleasant 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  

   to 
  say 
  so 
  — 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  increasing 
  in 
  numbers. 
  The 
  birds 
  make 
  

   their 
  appearance 
  in 
  April, 
  being 
  then 
  seen 
  in 
  small 
  parties 
  

   fishing 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  creeks 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  their 
  nesting 
  

   ground. 
  The 
  earliest 
  date 
  on 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  a 
  note 
  of 
  them 
  is 
  

   April 
  20th, 
  1902 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  give 
  this 
  as 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  their 
  

   arrival, 
  because 
  my 
  observations 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  continuous 
  

   enough 
  to 
  fix 
  that 
  date 
  ; 
  although 
  during 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  beach 
  on 
  

   April 
  14th, 
  1903, 
  I 
  saw 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  should 
  therefore 
  

   be 
  inclined 
  to 
  put 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  their 
  arrival 
  as 
  somewhere 
  between 
  

   April 
  14th 
  and 
  20th. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  congregate 
  on 
  the 
  beaches 
  

   where 
  they 
  nest 
  until 
  towards 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  May. 
  On 
  May 
  20th, 
  

   1903, 
  I 
  found 
  them 
  in 
  numbers 
  on 
  their 
  own 
  particular 
  stretch 
  

   of 
  beach, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  rather 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  two 
  nests 
  with 
  one 
  

   egg 
  in 
  each 
  : 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  earliest 
  date 
  at 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  

   their 
  eggs. 
  From 
  the 
  first 
  start 
  of 
  laying, 
  I 
  am 
  of 
  opinion, 
  that 
  

   any 
  day 
  one 
  would 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  fresh 
  eggs, 
  and 
  eggs 
  in 
  all 
  

   stages 
  of 
  incubation. 
  The 
  only 
  eggs 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  from 
  this 
  

   colony 
  have 
  been 
  acquired 
  simply 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  testing 
  the 
  times 
  

   of 
  laying. 
  Thus, 
  an 
  egg 
  from 
  a 
  nest 
  containing 
  three, 
  taken 
  on 
  

   May 
  26th, 
  1901, 
  was 
  so 
  hard 
  sat 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  hardly 
  blow 
  it. 
  

   (This 
  would 
  put 
  the 
  first 
  laying 
  for 
  this 
  nest 
  earlier 
  than 
  

   May 
  20th.) 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  date 
  an 
  egg 
  from 
  another 
  nest 
  was 
  

   perfectly 
  fresh. 
  On 
  June 
  18th, 
  1903, 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  single 
  egg 
  which 
  

   I 
  thought 
  had 
  been 
  laid 
  since 
  a 
  visit 
  on 
  the 
  previous 
  day, 
  

   and 
  upon 
  blowing 
  it 
  my 
  surmise 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  correct. 
  On 
  

   •Tune 
  28th, 
  1902. 
  a 
  single 
  egg 
  laid 
  in 
  a 
  nest 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  

  

  