The Least Tern 



be at any stage. Fresh eggs in twos, or rarely in threes, vie in interest 

 with toddling chicks, who freeze upon the instant of approach. If it is a 

 windy beach, like that of Monterey, the baby's eyes are filled with sand, 

 for he executes his part unblinking. Too much sun will not do, either; 

 and the infant, denied his mother's wing, must either find shelter under a 

 leaf or a bit of drift on the higher beach, or perish. 



Under ideal conditions the Least Tern may possibly raise two broods 

 in a season. Ordinarily the range assigned for fresh eggs, May 20th to 

 August 1st, must rather represent successive attempts, thwarted at first 

 by wind or tide or depredation. 



The early history of the Least Tern in California appears to be lost 

 in obscurity. Whether or not it was really abundant in the earlier days, 

 we do not know. It suffered, of course, near extinction in the days of the 

 plume-hunters. Since those days there has been a notable recovery, and 

 it may be that through comparative protection from gun-fire, and es- 

 pecially from the definite protection extended to it by the Bolsa Chica 

 Gun Club on their properties, the species will really increase on the 

 whole, in spite of disturbed beach conditions elsewhere. Mr. W. Lee 

 Chambers, writing from Santa Monica in 1908, ' reported the birds as 

 decreasing sharply at Ballona Beach and at Redondo Beach, but increasing 



at Bolsa and 

 Newport 

 beaches. Colo- 

 nies have been 

 reported from 

 the following 

 localities : 

 Moss Landing 

 (Monterey 

 Bay), Carpin- 

 teria (inter- 

 mittent), Hue- 

 neme, PI ay a 

 Del Rey, Re- 

 dondo, Sunset 

 Beach, New- 

 port Beach , 

 and Pacific 

 Beach (San 

 Diego Coun- 

 ty). 



Taken at bandyland 



THE SPLASH 



THE BIRD IS, OF COURSE, EMERGING FROM A PLUNGE 



Photo by the Author 



'Condor, Vol. X., 



p. 237. 



1459 



