SALT-MARSHES OF WEST JUTLAND. 
325 
The survivor, which could easily have been shot, was 
even less advanced, showing hardly any black on the 
head. Their breasts were beautifully rosy. We saw 
another passing pair in similar plumage. 
Little Terns (Sterna minuta) fished along-shore in 
pairs, alighting between dives to “ kiss ; ” and among 
other birds noticed here were avocets, red-throated 
diver, merganser, wigeon (a flight of ten), and a pair 
of heavy diving-ducks with white speculum—probably 
velvet scoters. 
Two days we spent on the outer sandpit, by the 
verge of the North Sea—here breaking a pure pale 
translucent green. The feature of these outer links 
were the tern-colonies, which extended for miles. Bare 
sand and shingle alike were dotted with innumerable 
nests—mere scratchings, quite unlined, and all as yet 
empty. It was too early (May 17th and 18th). The 
species breeding here included Common and Arctic 
Terns, Little and Sandwich Terns. There were, however, 
other large terns whose identity we failed to make out. 
Cartridges had run short, and the few remaining were 
only half-loaded. These large terns kept a constant 
line along-shore, about thirty yards to sea, each carry¬ 
ing a silvery fish. Not one flew overland. A gravelly 
point projected seawards, hard by where the huge verte¬ 
brae and scattered skeleton of a whale strewed the shore. 
Upon this point, with our two last cartridges, I laid 
down flat; but, alas! neither of those undercharged 
shells effected its object, and the procession continued 
undiminished. Both the Grull-billed and Caspian Terns 
breed on the island of Sylt—possibly, also, the Boseate 
Tern—hence this failure was annoying, and we walked 
