. Birds of Massachusetts and other New England states. Birds; Birds. TERNS 125. Young Least Terns with Their Mother, on Their First Morning she arrested her flight, and for a few seconds remained poised in the air with beating wings; then suddenly and swiftly she plunged headlong into the waves. Presently she returned with a little "sand-eel" which she gave to one of the tiny ones who ran to her for it. Again she flew away and plunged into the sea and then returned to her nestlings and relieved the male. She stood over them this time with wet, ruffled feathers, and seemed to shake of
. Birds of Massachusetts and other New England states. Birds; Birds. TERNS 125. Young Least Terns with Their Mother, on Their First Morning she arrested her flight, and for a few seconds remained poised in the air with beating wings; then suddenly and swiftly she plunged headlong into the waves. Presently she returned with a little "sand-eel" which she gave to one of the tiny ones who ran to her for it. Again she flew away and plunged into the sea and then returned to her nestlings and relieved the male. She stood over them this time with wet, ruffled feathers, and seemed to shake off some drops of water on their little panting bodies, while she raised her wings a trifle to shade them from the sun. I watched this scene from a distance of about seven feet and photographed some of it, the male meantime standing near-by. He took flight, and she nestled over the chick nearest me, coaxing it gently farther away by using her bill and calling the other which finally followed and settled by her side. Again the gentle twittering, and the male bird alighted with a tiny, bright, silvery fish. A little one stuck its head out from beneath the mother's wing, the father bird courteously passed the fish to the mother, and she fed the chick which begged with open mouth for it. Again the pro- vider winged his way over the sunny sea to return with another fish. The little ones were now asleep under the breast of the mother. He offered her the fish; she refused it; he flew away, but soon alighted and politely proffered it again, only to be refused again. At last, having full assurance that his family needed no more, he swallowed the fish himself. Where shall we look to find a lovelier picture of happy, harmonious family- relations than that shown here on this sandy beach beside the roaring surf? 1 In the early part of the final quarter of the last century this lovely little bird was abundant in summer on Buzzards Bay and the waters about Cape Cod. It was sacrificed to man's g
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Keywords: ., bookauthorforb, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirds
