88 THE OENITHOLOGIST. 



overhead en masse, uttering their peculiar note, while their 

 white plumage contrasted exquisitely against the deep blue sky. 

 The ground was thickly strewn with their nests, composed of 

 a few dry bents arranged in a circle ; in the centre on the sand 

 were the eggs, some with one, some with two, and others with 

 three, of every shade in ground colour from a bluish white to a, 

 dark dull green, with handsome dark streaks, or covered with 

 blotches, others marked at one end only. One nest contained 

 sixteen eggs arranged in an irregular oval shape, probably that 

 of four or five birds together ; in some the young were hatched, 

 and in truth there was every stage of hatching to be seen. 



Walking along, and picking our way amongst the thickly 

 placed nests, we came to an adjoining colony of Black-headed 

 Gulls, a very different scene, for the nests were all empty, 

 larger, and more compact, and emitting a very strong odour 

 from the excrement of the young birds. The young were 

 running about in all directions, and we continually came upon 

 them in the rank herbage, some seeming to have a difficulty 

 with their long wings, at times catching them amongst the 

 thistles, etc., in their endeavours to escape, and some rolling 

 down the steep sand banks in their hurry to get away. Over- 

 head the old birds were making a bewildering din, one or two 

 hovering over our heads and pouncing down in their anxiety 

 for their young. These birds appeared to nest on the tops of 

 the sand-hills, and not so much on the lower ground as did the 

 Common Terns. 



Moving on again the scene was changed, and we found 

 ourselves in a colony of the Sandwich Terns. These hand- 

 somely marked young birds were also hatched and running 

 about ; the nests were composed of a few bents arranged in 

 a hollow in the sand on the highest sand-hills. Overhead 

 these large Terns became very excited, one or two now and 

 then, following us and swooping down within a foot of our 

 heads, uttering a kind of screech, whilst the impetus of the rush 

 carried them up again ; they scarcely ever moved their large 

 wings, but floated about in the air. In the midst of all this 

 confusion the Oyster-catchers kept on rushing from the sea 

 amongst them with their shrill piping ; they had not such 

 power over their wings as the Terns, and consequently had to 



