230 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS chap. 



have strength to journey to the sea-shore. I never yet could 

 find any of the newly-hatched terns near the nests, and am of 

 opinion that the old birds in some way or other carry off their 

 young, as soon as they are out of the egg, to some place more 

 congenial to so essentially a water-bird than the arid ground 

 on which they are hatched. During fine weather the terns 

 never sit on their eggs in the daytime, but, uttering unceasing 

 cries, hover and fly about over the spot where their nests are. 

 All day long have I seen them hovering in this manner, with a 

 flight more like that of a butterfly than of a bird. If a man 

 approaches their eggs, they dash about his head with a loud 

 angry clamour ; and all the other terns which have eggs, for 

 miles around, on hearing the cry of alarm, fly to see what it is 

 all about, and having satisfied their curiosity, return to the 

 neighbourhood of their own domicile, ready to attack any 

 intruder. If a crow in search of eggs happens to wander near 

 the terns' building-places, she is immediately attacked by the 

 whole community, every bird joining in the chase, and striking 

 furiously at their common enemy, who is glad to make off as 

 quickly as she can. The terns, having pursued her to some 

 distance, return seemingly well satisfied with their feat of arms, 

 I have also detected the fox by the rapid swoops of the terns 

 as they dash at him if he happens to pass near their nests. 



There is one kind of tern that breeds on the sandhills, which 

 is peculiarly beautiful, the Lesser Tern, or Terna minuta. This 

 little bird, scarcely bigger than a swift, and of a pale blue in 

 the upper part of her plummage, is of the most satin-like and 

 dazzling whiteness in all the lower portions. It is a most 

 delicate-looking creature, but has a stronger and more rapid 

 flight than the larger, kinds, and, when he joins in their clamor- 

 ous attacks on any enemy, utters a louder and shriller cry than 

 one could expect to hear from so small a body. Its eggs are 

 similar in colour to those of the common tern, but much 

 smaller. 



The Roseate Tern also visits us. I do not know that I have 

 ever found the eggs of this kind, but I have distinguished the 

 bird by its pale bluish coloured breast, as it hovered over my 

 head amongst the other terns. 



A favourite position of the tern is on the stakes of the 

 salmon-fishers' nets. Frequently every stake has a tern on it. 



