AMONG NOBFOLK TERNS. 259 



here a three hours' flood and a nine hours' ebb, and, stranger still, 

 that a twelve- and fourteen-foot rise is a usual thing, seeing that 

 at Yarmouth, not so far away, a six-foot tide is esteemed a good 

 one ! A couple of Sheld-Ducks most picturesquely broke the 

 middle distance with a dash of conspicuous colouring, but they 

 were exceedingly shy, and quickly took to wing. 



The locality chosen by the Terns for their nesting quarters 

 is barely above the common level, and the sea-water, lifting 

 above the creeks, must on unusually high tides trickle into the 

 depressions here and there. These cover an acre or two — per- 

 haps more, and are within a stone's throw of the sea, from which 

 they are separated by a ridge of low hummocky sand-dunes 

 hardly deserving the name of sand-hills. These shut off the 

 highest wave-sweeps of the far-travelling sea that at low water 

 is a good mile away. The usual high- water limit, distinguished 

 by a long thick rim of Cockle-shells, numbered by myriads, and 

 empty valves of Solen ensis, and which I had but a few moments 

 for inspecting, gave promise of many an hour's remunerative 

 overhauling to anyone sufficiently interested. And, mii'abile visu ! 

 nest after nest of Common Terns dotted the inside edge of this 

 ridge of jetsam and flotsam a span or two only from the tide- 

 limit ; the spume of the waves must have blown at times upon 

 them. On asking the keeper what about a higher tide than 

 usual, Tom Cringle only suggestively shook his head. On refer- 

 ring to the all too meagre report for 1904 of the Wells Wild Bird 

 Protection Society, I find a suggestion of danger : " There were 

 neither heavy gales nor high tides to harm the nests, and by 

 poisoning the Eats early in the season the young birds were 

 saved from their depredations." 



The larger area referred to is a wide-spreading shingly level, 

 interspersed by patches of sparse verdant dune-herbage. The 

 Terns — the Common (Sterna fliwiatilis) and the Little (S. minuta) 

 — had much to say by way of protest, and flew screaming around 

 — the Little " Chit-pearl" as vociferous as its larger relative — in 

 excited hundreds, like so many whirling snow-flakes, keeping up 

 their objection so long as we kept upon the move. The nests in 

 many places were but a yard apart ; a triangular stride would 

 cover three of them. I was struck by the marvellous corre- 

 spondence in colour of the eggs to their surroundings ; those 



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