36 
BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL 
During the day the parent birds sit on the nest very little, leav- 
ing the incubation of the eggs greatly to the heat from the sun and 
the warmth" arising from the damp decaying vegetable matter upon 
which they rest, for the nests are almost always moist inside. 
When the site where a colony is breeding is approached nearer than 
the parent birds deem safe, they make a great clamor, and dart 
repeatedly at the head of the intruder, occasionally venturing within 
a foot or two. If the nest of a pair be removed, and the birds 
left to themselves, they show considerable distress at their loss. 
Hovering over the spot from which the nest has been taken, they 
utter incessant cries and frequently alight to look in vain for their 
lost treasure. All the Terns in the neighborhood join in the cries 
of the bereaved pair, and the lamentation becomes general. 
I once had the fortune to meet with a young Tern of this species 
which had evidently entered this world but a few hours before. It 
was a curious-looking little creature, and could swim very well. The 
following description may convey some idea of its appearance : body 
covered with a soft, fluffy down ; beneath, pale sooty ; above, obscure 
yellow, washed with grayish, and tinged with rufous on the posterior 
parts of the body. Scattered over the upper parts were irregular 
spots of black. The under surfaces of the wings, lores, and feath- 
ers next the base of the upper mandible were white. The bill was 
black, with a white spot at the end of the upper mandible. Legs 
very dark flesh-color, with a reddish tinge. 
I am of the opinion that these miniature Terns leave the nest 
very soon after emerging from the egg. The one just described 
was found swimming about several feet from the nest, while just at 
the time one of his brothers was "working his way into the world by 
neatly cutting the shell into halves with the point of his bill. 
As soon as the young Terns are able to fly they are conducted to 
some suitable situation around a pond or lake, where they can sit 
while the parent birds supply them with food. I once counted 
thirty-seven sitting thus at one time on four or five panels of fence, 
wLich extended from the shore a short distance into a lake. 
Minneapolis, Minn. 
