THE SEA SWALLOW 19 
chick. During rough weather confusion worse 
confounded reigns. It becomes chaos in the wake 
of such gales as have been witnessed by me on 
two occasions on the Porangahau beach. ‘The 
first was one of those violent dry southers that 
rush up after sultry weather. In a few moments 
the whole Ternery—the whole beach indeed—was 
grey with wagging wisps of drift pouring over 
shore-line hummocks, racing over wet sea sand 
like dry thin star snow on keen ice. 
At any time there is much vociferation amongst 
a multitude of birds breeding together; at any 
time there is difficulty when nests lie close 
together for the returning birds to alight 
without disturbance to their neighbours. Now 
every individual was doubly noisy and more 
fiercely on the defensive. Each to its utmost 
was using voice and bill to fend off neighbours 
attempting to alight, whilst now and again sudden 
stronger blasts would dash hovering birds against 
others, compelling those attempting to stand 
sentinel, again to use their wings, and thus further 
to increase the confusion. A Tern in the air is 
as much at home as a fish in water, but under 
the stress of the varying gusts of the gale, man- 
ceuvring into a desired berth becomes to a return- 
ing bird as delicate and particular an operation 
as is the docking of a liner. Exactitude was in 
fact no longer possible. The ground, erstwhile 
