T 



THE COMMON TERN 



{Sterna hirundo) 



HE common tern is one of the most 

 graceful birds that adorn our coasts. 

 At one time it was fast going in the 

 path of the passenger pigeon and trumpeter 

 swan, but thanks to timely laws for its protec- 

 tion, it is now steadily increasing in numbers. 

 The terns congregate at their favorite nesting 

 sites, certain small islands along the coast, and 

 a few isolated interior points, about the middle 

 of June, the nesting season extending thence 

 to the middle of August. 



Numerous visits I made to one of these sites, 

 known as the Wee Pecket Islands, in Buz- 

 zards Bay, furnished many captivating hours 

 spent in observing the active colony life of the 

 terns. As one approached the island, the 



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