List of Birds observed in Malta and Gozo. 239 
on the 29th July, while paying a visit to the ironclad squadron, 
which was anchored off the mouth of the Grand Harbour. 
I shot one on the 4th August in Sliema Creek. It was stand¬ 
ing on a fishing-cork, and had been seen in this position for 
several hours, regardless of the ferry-boats which repeatedly 
passed close to it in the course of the day. As they chiefly 
confined themselves to the other harbours, on the 6th I or¬ 
ganized a regular campaign against them, and found them 
in abundance fishing in the New-Harbour extension, which 
was at that time pretty free from shipping. I saw none in the 
black plumage of summer ; all were more or less marked 
with grey and white. I shot six, the average measurement 
being from 9^ to 10 inches in length—-the larger specimens 
being males, as is always the case with the different species 
of the Tern family; length of wing 8^ inches. It was .ex¬ 
ceedingly interesting to watch their light and rapid move¬ 
ments ; now dropping suddenly from their airy altitude, 
splashing the water like a falling stone, in pursuit of some 
small fish or offal that had attracted their attention, now 
coursing through the air, in imitation, as it were, of the 
Swallow tribe. In many parts of the new harbour were placed 
floating corks to mark certain spots where mines had been 
laid to blast the rock at the bottom, in order to deepen the 
anchorage. On most of these corks was to be seen a solitary 
Tern, quietly watching for some passing fish, to seize it for 
its prey. They showed no fear of approaching boats. I 
amused myself for some time with one little fellow, by pulling 
my skiff to windward and allowing it to drift down towards 
him. He never moved until I had almost touched him with 
my hand, and then only to mount a few feet in the air over 
my head, and alight on the same cork the instant that I had 
passed. This experiment I repeated several times, with the 
same result. Occasionally, while within a few inches of him, 
he would exchange calls with a passing companion. The note 
was rather a shrill scream. So close did he allow of my ap¬ 
proach that I could watch the expression of his little dark 
bright eye; but there was nothing of alarm in it. May be, 
one reason for his loathness to abandon this particular cork 
s 2 
