﻿ORNITHOLOGICAL 
  NOTES 
  FBOM 
  NORFOLK. 
  217 
  

  

  takes 
  place 
  neck 
  foremost 
  ; 
  first 
  the 
  beak 
  perforates 
  a 
  small 
  hole, 
  

   and 
  then 
  the 
  bird's 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  as 
  they 
  unfold 
  press 
  out 
  a 
  

   larger 
  piece. 
  But 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  young 
  one 
  has 
  emerged 
  the 
  

   looker-on 
  is 
  lost 
  in 
  wonder 
  as 
  to 
  how 
  the 
  nestling 
  was 
  ever 
  kept 
  

   in 
  such 
  a 
  compass 
  ! 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  liberated, 
  the 
  old 
  Tern 
  

   must 
  remove 
  the 
  egg-shells, 
  or 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  there. 
  The 
  eyes 
  

   of 
  a 
  Common 
  Tern 
  are 
  open 
  from 
  the 
  instant 
  of 
  hatching, 
  and 
  

   by 
  next 
  morning 
  it 
  may, 
  according 
  to 
  my 
  informant 
  Pinchin, 
  

   have 
  very 
  likely 
  crawled 
  a 
  yard 
  or 
  more. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  celerity 
  

   with 
  which 
  all 
  these 
  young 
  shore-birds 
  acquire 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  their 
  

   legs 
  is 
  astonishing, 
  and 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  provision 
  for 
  their 
  safety 
  — 
  

   evinced 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  Ringed 
  Plover. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  statement 
  affords 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  this 
  precocity 
  : 
  

   At 
  6 
  a.m. 
  Mr. 
  Pinchin 
  observed 
  a 
  nest 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  containing 
  

   three 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Common 
  Tern, 
  which 
  he 
  thought 
  were 
  near 
  

   hatching, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  nearly 
  white, 
  and 
  therefore 
  very 
  

   recognisable. 
  At 
  2.30 
  p.m. 
  he 
  examined 
  again, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  

   normal 
  eggs 
  were 
  hatched, 
  but 
  not 
  the 
  light-coloured 
  one. 
  At 
  

   4 
  p.m., 
  when 
  he 
  took 
  my 
  son 
  and 
  self 
  with 
  him, 
  the 
  light 
  egg 
  was 
  

   still 
  unhatched, 
  but 
  the 
  chirping 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  one 
  inside 
  it 
  was 
  quite 
  

   audible. 
  Beside 
  it 
  lay 
  young 
  one 
  No. 
  2, 
  whilst 
  the 
  third 
  youngster 
  

   had 
  actually 
  already 
  crawled 
  away 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance. 
  The 
  

   egg-shells 
  belonging 
  to 
  Nos. 
  2 
  and 
  3 
  had 
  gone. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  few 
  prettier 
  sights 
  than 
  the 
  view 
  over 
  a 
  protected 
  

   Terns' 
  settlement. 
  In 
  Norfolk 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  content 
  with 
  a 
  mere 
  

   depression, 
  generally 
  making 
  quite 
  a 
  respectable 
  nest 
  of 
  grass- 
  

   bents 
  (marram, 
  crab-grass, 
  &c), 
  but 
  with 
  little 
  idea 
  of 
  protection 
  

   by 
  colour 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  the 
  nests 
  on 
  the 
  sand 
  are 
  

   most 
  conspicuous, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  marvel 
  how 
  the 
  eggs 
  escape 
  the 
  

   Grey 
  Crows 
  and 
  larger 
  Gulls. 
  In 
  the 
  Wells 
  district 
  Col. 
  Feilden 
  

   has 
  told 
  our 
  readers 
  that 
  they 
  chiefly 
  employ 
  the 
  stems 
  and 
  

   last 
  year's 
  blossoms 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  lavender. 
  In 
  Suffolk 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  

   the 
  white 
  sea 
  campion 
  used. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  July, 
  Norfolk 
  experienced 
  a 
  gale 
  which 
  I 
  

   learn 
  wrought 
  some 
  destruction 
  in 
  this 
  Tern 
  settlement, 
  chiefly 
  

   by 
  preventing 
  the 
  old 
  Terns 
  from 
  bringing 
  food 
  to 
  their 
  young 
  

   (Pinchin). 
  They 
  also 
  had 
  some 
  of 
  their 
  eggs 
  blown 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  

   nests 
  on 
  June 
  8th 
  and 
  9th 
  (Pinchin), 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  that 
  

   Mr. 
  Hepburn 
  says 
  the 
  settlement 
  in 
  Kent 
  suffered 
  (Zool., 
  ante, 
  

   Zool. 
  4th 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  VIII., 
  June, 
  1904. 
  s 
  

  

  