﻿THE 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  KENT. 
  177 
  

  

  there 
  had 
  been 
  such 
  a 
  tide 
  as 
  this 
  during 
  the 
  nesting 
  season, 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  covered. 
  

   May 
  10th 
  was 
  the 
  next 
  spring 
  tide, 
  but 
  on 
  that 
  date 
  there 
  were 
  

   few 
  eggs 
  laid, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  having 
  been 
  

   so 
  high 
  as 
  in 
  April. 
  At 
  the 
  spring 
  tide 
  in 
  June 
  the 
  beach 
  was 
  

   full 
  of 
  nests, 
  but 
  the 
  tide 
  did 
  not 
  reach 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  April, 
  and 
  I 
  

   was 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  myself 
  on 
  this 
  occasion, 
  and 
  found 
  that, 
  

   although 
  the 
  water 
  came 
  within 
  a 
  foot 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  many 
  nests, 
  

   there 
  were 
  none 
  in 
  danger 
  of 
  being 
  washed 
  away. 
  

  

  The 
  Little 
  Terns 
  are 
  most 
  interesting 
  birds 
  to 
  watch. 
  Their 
  

   night 
  is 
  both 
  graceful 
  and 
  powerful. 
  When 
  fishing 
  along 
  

   the 
  creeks 
  or 
  ditches, 
  they 
  will 
  often 
  come 
  close 
  to 
  a 
  quiet 
  

   observer. 
  They 
  then 
  fly 
  quite 
  slowly, 
  and 
  every 
  stroke 
  of 
  the 
  

   wings 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  actually 
  lift 
  the 
  bird's 
  body 
  as 
  it 
  propels 
  it 
  

   forward. 
  Its 
  beak 
  is 
  pointed 
  downwards 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  

   horizontal 
  centre 
  line 
  of 
  its 
  body, 
  and 
  one 
  can 
  see 
  it 
  turning 
  its 
  

   head 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side 
  scanning 
  the 
  water 
  for 
  food. 
  When 
  it 
  

   catches 
  sight 
  of 
  anything, 
  it 
  will 
  hover 
  like 
  a 
  Kestrel, 
  with 
  rapid 
  

   wing-beat, 
  and 
  the 
  tail 
  spread 
  wide, 
  assisting 
  it 
  to 
  maintain 
  its 
  

   stationary 
  position. 
  This 
  hovering 
  seems 
  to 
  serve 
  a 
  double 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  enabling 
  the 
  bird 
  to 
  make 
  sure 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  worth 
  plunging 
  for, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  get 
  itself 
  into 
  the 
  right 
  

   position 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  object 
  it 
  wishes 
  to 
  secure 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  

   have 
  often 
  seen 
  them 
  work 
  themselves 
  backivards 
  several 
  inches 
  

   when 
  hovering 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  decided 
  that 
  there 
  

   is 
  something 
  worth 
  catching, 
  it 
  drops 
  head 
  first, 
  with 
  half-closed 
  

   wings, 
  perpendicularly 
  into 
  the 
  water, 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  shoulders 
  

   disappearing 
  underneath, 
  and 
  only 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  and 
  tail 
  

   showing 
  above 
  the 
  surface. 
  They 
  generally 
  sit 
  on 
  the 
  water 
  for 
  

   a 
  moment 
  before 
  taking 
  flight 
  again, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  swim 
  

   about 
  for 
  a 
  minute 
  or 
  two. 
  But, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  waste 
  

   much 
  time 
  before 
  again 
  beating 
  along 
  over 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  beach 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  nest 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  passed 
  by 
  in 
  

   ignorance 
  during 
  the 
  nesting 
  season, 
  tor 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  an 
  intruder 
  

   comes 
  within 
  a 
  certain 
  distance 
  every 
  bird 
  rises 
  off 
  the 
  beach. 
  

   The 
  majority 
  fly 
  straight 
  out 
  to 
  sea, 
  but 
  some 
  few 
  come 
  towards 
  

   the 
  visitor, 
  uttering 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  their 
  chattering 
  call-note. 
  The 
  

   probabilities 
  being 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  

   attached 
  to 
  the 
  colony 
  not 
  engaged 
  in 
  nesting 
  operations, 
  as 
  a 
  

   Zool. 
  4th 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  VIII., 
  May, 
  1904. 
  P 
  

  

  