C:- . .D, 
1913 
Fay 5 
Feeding 
Habits of the 
lit tern 
Fit: crii 
feeding , on 
on,all prey. 
•s dr. and Fro* r/llllam tone a id I were paddling 
Op'river about 10 A., d,, we saw n -snail, dull-colored 
Fittern, evide tly a female, a leaking along the margin of 
the water at “Hunt 1 s Pond'* (a small marsh-bordered lagoon 
extending back from the river) . At.first the bird seemed 
to be trying to elude our observation, but soon she ceased 
to show any fear of vn a ad gave 11 her attention to a 
systematic quest for food. Paddling slowly or merely 
drifting In the canoes when, the light wind served, we kept 
within thirty yards of her for fully half an hour, using 
our glasses freely* During this time she covered a distance 
of sixty or seventy yards, walking very slowly along the 
grassy shore in a crouching attitude, :1th head and neck 
drawn in. Four tines she stopped, extended her neck to 
Itr full length about on a level with her breast, 1th 
bill pointing somewhat downward, remained fixed and statuesque 
in this? attitude for sever 1 seconds, and then thrust her 
bill down into the shallow water with a.quick, decided 
movement, yet not much swifter than that of a hungry Fowl 
picking up a kernel of corn, 0n each occasion she brought 
up some small object which certainly was neither a fish 
nor a frog and ’which we thought .must be the larva of some 
: ter insect, perhaps a dragon-"ly or a caddis worm, 
'Shaking it once or twice 8 cl holding it in her bill only a 
second or two, she swallowed it easily a id -with much ^ 
apparent gratification, as if it were a peculiarly palatable 
