TKRNS. 129 



legs are black, and the wing feathers grow darker as the5' 

 approach their extremities. Otherwise the markings of the 

 common tern and this are very similar. These also are more 

 given to the sea, are always on the wing, flying, as is the nature 

 of their tribe, with the utmost tirelessness and ease. They 

 seize their prey on or close to the surface, never actuall5' 

 diving for it. The Caspian variety is a far shiver bird than 

 most of the others, is not easily approached, and seems to be 

 constantly on the watch for anything thatmightproveinimical. 

 In common with the family as a rule, terns pass through 

 various changes in plumage according to the seasons. 



S. Lonsiipennis, the long-winged or swift tern, needs little 

 description. Its chief distinction is in the length of its primary 

 and tail feathers, which mark it out as swift amongst the swift, 

 light-winged where all are light-winged. The tips of the 

 primaries extend till they are immediately above the ends of 

 the long and deeply forked tail. It would be interesting to 

 know what pace a swift-tern could get up were a bird of 

 prey, say a noddy, after it. 



A line about the noddy, A nous Stolidiis, and these notes 

 must come to a close. Except for a light coloured crown to 

 his head, the noddy is of a dark chocolate brown turning in 

 the primaries almost to black. His indifference to approaching 

 strangers is responsible for his name of the "foolish one" — 

 ■ftoUdiis. Many have been caught by hand on board ships at 

 sea. The noddy is as often known under the still more 

 characteristic name of "Booby." He is more at home on 

 sea than on land. Noddy's eggs, like those of some other 

 terns, are considered very good eating. Like gulls, some nest 

 on sand or rocks, others amongst the marshes. Some verj' 

 beautiful photographs of terns taken from life recently 

 appeared in that most interesting weekly "Country Life.'' 



It has alread^r fallen to my lottotell one story of maternal 

 love as shown by a partridge. One delights to have such an 

 opportunity when the incident has been a personal experience. 

 But all such exhibitions by birds may be referred by the skeptical 

 to instinct, and I am a firm believer in something more than 

 instinct in many animals other than man. It must not be 

 forgotten that even man himself under stress of unusual 

 danger falls back on instincts pure and simple. Tumbling 

 into deep water, for example, when he cannot swim, his reason 

 vanishes, and he becomes once more what his ancestors were 

 before reason had begun, that is to say an arboreal animal 

 accustomed to escapedanger by swinging himself higher and 

 higher on the branches of the trees on which he dwelt. 

 Drowning, his hands instinctively go up to branches which are 

 not there ! And as man may descend from reason to instinct, 

 so may the lower animals rise at times from instinct to reason; 



