The Roseate Tern 35 



The young are hatched towards the end of June, or early in July ; the 

 nestlings being buff on the upper surface, spotted with white and grey, and pure 

 white on the under side. They resemble more the nestlings of the Sandwich 

 Tern than those of either the Arctic or the Common Tern. 



By the middle of August the chicks have become fully fledged, their plumage 

 differing from that of the adult in summer, above described, in having the bill 

 black, the forehead and crown white, or cream yellow, streaked with black; the 

 head and nape dark ashy greyish-black, streaked with white ; the upper side 

 flushed with buff and blackish-grey ; a band on the wing blackish- grey, with white 

 margins ; back and wing-coverts bluish-grey, marbled with greyish-black and 

 yellowish-white, crossed with subterminal arrow-headed bars ; " dark grey centres 

 to the inner secondaries ; more grey in the primaries, with less pronounced white 

 inner margins " (Saunders) ; tail with the outer webs of its feathers grey, except 

 the outermost which are always white ; the throat, a collar on the hind neck, and 

 the whole of the under side white ; legs and feet yellow. 



Older immature birds differ from the above in the loss, partly by moult of 

 the feathers, and partly, and chiefly, by a pigment change only, of the ashy mottlings 

 and striations, the arrow-shaped markings and the buff blush on the upper side. 



Throughout the remainder of August and, if the season be not too stormy, 

 during all September, these birds may be seen along our coasts in company with 

 their parents, which have now assumed the winter dress, which differs from their 

 summer plumage in having the forehead mottled with white, and the under side 

 pinkish-white. With them there will be always some of the previous year's birds 

 in their winter attire, which may be recognized, from that of the adult in winter, 

 by the dark band on the wing-coverts. 



The Roseate Tern is one of the first of the Stemince to leave us for a more 

 genial climate. By the beginning of October many have gone and the rest are 

 ready to leave. If, however, the weather has been stormy, they have often all 

 departed before that date. 



As is well known, Terns are thrown into great disquietude by the approach 

 of any intruder on their nesting ground, and will never disclose the site of their 

 nest by returning home during his presence. Mr. Booth records the following 

 ruse which he adopted in order to discover if a mate were present, on the Fame 

 Islands, to a female of the Roseate Tern, which he had shot in the supposition 

 that it was an Arctic Tern. " In order to obtain," he says, " a clear and unin- 

 terrupted view of the whole assemblage at each station, after alighting at their 

 nesting quarters, I made use of the tactics often successfully employed with the 

 Crow family, or the larger birds of prey. In company with three or four of the 



