The Sandwich Tern 



Like all Terus, this bird is a powerful flier, and seizes the 

 fish on which it feeds by plunging into the water with 

 considerable force. Its note is a loud and harsh " kirhitt," 

 which may be heard some way off and often enables this 

 species to be detected when among other Terns. It leaves 

 our shores as soon as the young are well on the wing, and 

 though a few stragglers may occur on the coast during the 

 autumn it is by no means a common species, and needs all 

 the protection it can get, if it is to remain an annual 

 summer visitor to our shores. 



The adult male in summer has the crown of the head 

 black ; the rest of the upper parts pearl grey ; rump, tail, 

 and under parts white, the breast being suffused with a 

 delicate rose tint which soon fades after death. Bill black 

 with a yellow tip. Legs black. The female is similar but 

 slightly smaller. In autumn the back of the head and nape 

 are white, the latter being lightly mottled. In the young 

 the head is white mottled with black. The feathers of the 

 back and wing coverts have black and brownish crescentic 

 markings and white tips. The tail is also marked with 

 angular lines of black, the outer feather being almost 

 entirely greyish. Length 16 in. ; bill 2'5 in.; wing 12 in. 



THE ROSEATE TERN 



Sterna dougalll, Montagu 



This Tern still nests in small numbers round our shores, 

 but it is extremely scarce and somewhat erratic in its choice 

 of breeding-quarters, which often vary from year to year. 



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