He says that this season the Terns arrived at Muskeget in large flocks, thousands dropping from the sky when they were first observed.
Mr. Mackay has been endeavoring to protect the Terns from the destructive encroachments of hunters and so-called "eggers.
Tortugas Birds One of our great national wildlife spectacles occurs each year between May and September, when the sooty terns assemble on Bush Key for their nesting season.
Familiar gulls and terns of the north, as well as many migratory shore birds, spend the winter at Tortugas.
The terns come from the Caribbean Sea and west-central Atlantic Ocean and land by the thousands on Bush Key.
In spring and autumn companies of Terns hang about these estuaries; the Sandwich, Common, Arctic, and Lesser Terns appear from the middle of April onwards; their return is noticed during August and the first half of September.
The Sandwich Terns do not always breed in exactly the same spot every season.
Behind the headland yonder, and at no great distance from land, a mixed company of Terns are fishing.
During late August many bands of Terns migrate south along the Yorkshire coast, not only from the Farne Islands, but from more northern stations still.
Of the Terns we shall have more to say in a later chapter (conf.
Next to the Lesser Black-backed Gull the Terns are certainly the most numerous and most interesting birds.
These are the most common Terns on the New England coast, nesting abundantly from Virginia to Newfoundland.
The Bridled Tern is common on some of the islands of the West Indies and the Bahamas, nesting in company with the Sooty Terns and Noddies.
They lay three eggs which have a somewhat brighter appearance than the common Black Terns because of a somewhat lighter ground color.
Terns are birds of similar plumage to the Gulls, but their forms are less robust and the bills are generally longer and sharply pointed.
These Terns sometimes nest in large colonies and then again only a few pairs will be found on an island.
Although small, these little Terns lose none of the grace and beauty of action of their larger relatives.
The Royal Ternsnest in great numbers on the coasts and islands on the South Atlantic and Gulf States and in the marshes of southern Texas.
In the breeding plumage the under parts of these Terns are tinged with rosy, which probably first gave the birds their name.
Terns were then in view, and thereafter, until the 13th of that month, Terns and Gulls were frequently seen.
Terns and gannets were amongst the birds of the coastal waters.
The terns which Crozet saw were probably of the species Sterna vittata, which breeds on the islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam.
A writer in the Boston Transcript says that when a heavy wind or gale springs up, the Gulls, Terns and Petrels will fly back and forth over the water's surface, rising and falling, and uttering their peculiar cries of warning.
For the terns have come, which always marks the change of season for me, but the winter gulls have not all gone.
Nearer shore two white terns circled round and round, and then dropped straight in the bay, their sharp beaks darting at fish.
Refusal to give up the food is punished by blows on the head, but the gannets and terns so fear the frigate that they seldom have the courage to disobey.
If he cannot find flying-fish, he stops gannets and terns in mid-air and makes them disgorge their catch, which he seizes as it falls.
Terns of this genus have very long, pointed wings, and chiefly frequent seas and the mouths of large rivers.
Note: Terns differ from gulls chiefly in their graceful form, in their weaker and more slender bills and feet, and their longer and more pointed wings.
In India, wherever there are rivers, jhils, or ponds there are terns to be found.
The terns (sea-swallows) are rearing their families, and ever need fresh food in unstinted quantities.
By the time the littleterns are thrown upon their own resources the violet frill of the sweet islands is frayed and ragged, and drifts loosely in shabby remnants.
The cry of those Terns which I saw this afternoon resembles that of the Cayenne Tern that I met with in the Floridas, and I could see a large orange bill, but could not discern the black feet.
I saw to-day several pairs of Cayenne Terns on their way south; they flew high, and were very noisy.
Many Sooty Terns were in sight during several days.
The Passing of the Tern The surprising results which may follow Fashion's demand for a certain kind of bird have never been more clearly shown than in the case of the Terns or Sea Swallows of our Atlantic coasts.
There is a noticeable decrease in the use of aigrettes and of our native birds, excepting the Terns and the plumage of the Owl; and a marked increase in the employment of the wings and feathers of the barnyard fowl.
In fact, the feather merchants themselves state that the demand for Terns and Gulls exceeds the supply.
Two seasons of this work were sufficient to sweep theTerns from all their more accessible resorts, the only survivors being residents of a few uninhabited islands.
Suddenly, as a result of causes too mysterious for the mind of man to comprehend, Fashion claimed the Terns for her own.
It would be if they were obliged to stay; but both Gulls and Terns scatter all over the country to winter, though the Terns travel much further south.
But your guess is not a bad one, for all Terns are also called Sea Swallows, because of their dashing flight.
Terns are the better flyers, but Gulls are decidedly the more expert swimmers.
Both Gulls and Terns nest on Gull Island, where Olaf is going to take us some day when the water is smooth.
Nat as they walked across, and a flock of a hundred or more Terns angled by, crying mournfully.
I suppose the little Gulls and Terns must be hatched with down-feathers on.
Neither Gulls nor Terns can dive far under water like Ducks, for their bodies are too light; but they all pounce down on wing and contrive to catch small fish swimming just below the surface.
It transpired that Atkinson and the seaman had a horrible night with salt water soaked food, and the crabs and white terns which sat and watched them all night, squawking in chorus whenever they moved.
The gannets and terns were quite extraordinary, like all the living things there.
If you stay still enough the terns perch on your head.
Harris Reed presented a paper on "The Ternsof Gull Island, New York;" A.
Mackay talked interestingly of "The Terns of Penikese Island, Mass.
On July 9, three miles north of camp 13 terns were among sedges in standing water.
These birds seemed to be the only terns nesting on this large lake.
One of the terns that had been feeding on these fish flew out over the upland tundra approximately 500 feet from the river valley.
The Great and Lesser Terns still nest in one or two localities on our coast, although as the result of great persecution in very reduced numbers.
I see no impossibility in people having thought of eating Terns in those days [as to that see Note 7, p.
AS THE TIDE COMES IN The quivering terns dart wild and dive, As the tide comes tumbling in.
And the terns that darted among The tides seemed weaving for me Impalpable wings of peace and hope-- That now have taken flight Beyond the day and the night.
Frigate-bird, oystercatcher, upland plover and various terns on the coast of Tamaulipas, Mexico.
The terns nest close together, in bird cities, so to speak, and generally rather low on the beaches.
When hovering over water where there are fish, and while watching for their prey, terns point the bill downward, just as pelicans do in similar circumstances; just as gulls often do when they are seeking to spy food below them.
The herons had well-grown nestlings, whereas the terns and gulls were in the midst of the breeding, and the skimmers had only just begun.
The beautiful royalterns were the chief sufferers.
These big terns are swifter and better fliers than the gulls, and the depredations take place all the time before their eyes.
They are perfectly aware of this, and make no attempt to elude observation, any more than the gulls and terns do.
If these bigterns had even a fraction of the intelligence and spirit of king-birds, no gull would venture within a half-mile of their nesting-grounds.
The terns had completely deserted the island and had gone in their thousands to another; but some skimmers remained and were nesting.
The skimmers are odd, interesting birds, and on the whole were, if anything, rather tamer even than the royal terns and laughing gulls, their constant associates.
The gulls and skimmers were nesting on this island in great numbers, but the terns were many times more plentiful.
On the islands where the royal terns especially loved to nest the high water spelled destruction.
It has been said on excellent authority that terns can always be told from gulls because, whereas the latter carry their beaks horizontally, the terns carry their bills pointing downward, "like a mosquito.
The result must have been satisfactory, for presently he observed: "Purty fair day's wages, but I believe I could make more killing terns and gulls than these birds.
It was interesting, on a Nature-study excursion, to watch the Crested Terns diving frequently into the sea above a shoal of small fish at Sandringham.
Fifty-seven Terns and Noddies are found throughout the world.
Being powerful flyers, it is not surprising to find that several of the Australian Terns are really Old-World, and even New-World, forms too.
The apparent primary carelessness of the ternsin depositing their eggs is shown, when the chicks are hatched, to have been artfulness of a high order.
Hundreds of terns (six species) lay their eggs among the tinkling coral chips, and discarding all attempts at concealment, practise artistic deception.
The picture "where terns lay" testifies to the solicitude of Nature for the preservation of types.
Could they enjoy the satisfaction of the fact the little fish might snigger when the terns are called upon to exert all their agility and tricks, vainly endeavouring to elude the long slim-winged frigate bird.
Here a few terns rear their young, and succeeding generations of the sooty oyster-catcher lay their eggs just out of the reach of high-tide.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "terns" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
