CHAP. XXV.| TERNS—CROWS. 201 
his bill in one place, just behind the head, where it seems to be 
invariably caught. 
The terns which breed in the islands on a loch in the woods 
of Altyre, fully five miles ina straight line from where they 
fish, fly up to their young with every sand-eel they catch. I 
have seen them fly backwards and forwards in this way for hours 
together, apparently bringing the whole of their food from the 
sea, notwithstanding the distance; their light body and long 
swallow-like wings make this long flight to and fro less fa- 
tiguing to the tern than it would be to almost any other bird. 
Great numbers of terns breed every year on the sandhills. 
Their eggs, three in number, are laid in a small hole scraped 
amongst the shingle, or on the bare sand. Generally, however, 
they choose a place abounding in small stones; and their eggs 
being very nearly of the same colour as the pebbles, it is very 
difficult to distinguish them. The nests being frequently at so 
considerable a distance from the water, it has often been a matter 
of surprise to me how the young birds can live till they 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, who 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. Ifa crow in search of eggs happens 
to wander near the terns’ building-places, she is immediately at- 
tacked by the whole community, every bird joining in the chace, 
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 
