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THE ARCTIC TERN.
STERNA ARCTICA, TEMM.
P L A T E CCL. MALE.
LIGHT as a sylph, the Arctic Tern dances through the air above and
around you. The graces, one might imagine, had taught it to perform
those beautiful gambols which you see it display the moment you approach
the spot which it has chosen for its nest. Over many a league of
ocean has it passed, regardless of the dangers and difficulties that might
deter a more considerate traveller. Now over some solitary green isle,
a creek or an extensive bay, it sweeps, now over the expanse of the
boundless sea; at length it has reached the distant regions of the north,
and amidst the floating icebergs stoops to pick up a shrimp. It betakes
itself to the borders of a lonely sand-bank, or a low rocky island; there
side by side the males and the females alight, and congratulate each other
on the happy termination of their long journey. Little care is required
to form a cradle for their progeny ; in a short time the variegated eggs
are deposited, the little Terns soon burst the shell, and in a few days
hobble towards the edge of the water, as if to save their fond parents
trouble; feathers now sprout on their Avings, and gradually invest their
whole body; the young birds at length rise on wing, and follow their
friends to sea. But now the brief summer of the north is ended, dark
clouds obscure the sun," a snow-storm advances from the polar lands, and
before it skim the buoyant Terns, rejoicing at the prospect of returning
to the southern regions.
The day after our arrival at the Magdaleine Islands, the weather was
beautiful, although a stiff breeze blew from the south-west. I landed
with my party at an early hour, and we felt as if at a half-way house
on our journey from Nova Scotia to Labrador. Some of us ascended the
more elevated parts of those interesting islands, while others walked along
the shores. A clean sand-beach lay before us, and we proceeded over
it, until having reached a kind of peninsula, we were brought to a stand.
The Piping Plover ran and flew swiftly before us, emitting its soft and
mellow notes, while some dozens of Arctic Terns were plunging into
the waters, capturing a tiny fish or shrimp at every dash. Until that
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moment this Tern had not been familiar to me, and as I admired its easy
and graceful motions, I felt agitated with a desire to possess it. Our
guns were accordingly charged with mustard-seed shot, and one after
another you might have seen the gentle birds come whirling down upon
the waters. But previous to this I had marked their mode of flight, their
manner of procuring their prey, and their notes, that I might be able to
finish the picture from life. Alas, poor things ! how well do I remember
the pain it gave me, to be thus obliged to pass and execute sentence
upon them. At that very moment I thought of those long-past times,
when individuals of my own species were similarly treated ; but I excused
myself with the plea of necessity, as I recharged my double gun. As
soon as a sufficient number of males and females lay dead at our feet, we
retired from the water's edge, to 'watch the motions of the survivors,
among whom confusion and dismay prevailed, as they dashed close over
our heads, and vociferated their maledictions. We did not, however, depart
until we had tried a curious experiment for the third time. A female
had been shot, and lay dead on the water for a considerable while. Her
mate, whom I was unwilling to destroy, alighted upon her, and attempted
to caress her, as if she had been alive. The same circumstance took
place three different times, on our throwing the dead bird on the water.
Something of the same nature I have related in my article on the Wild
Turkey. All this happened in the month of June 1833, when none of
the Arctic Terns had yet produced eggs, although we found them nearly
ready to lay, as were the Piping Plovers.
Our schooner now sailed onward, and carried us to the dreary shores
of Labrador. There, after some search, we met with a great flock of
Arctic Terns breeding on a small island slightly elevated above the sea.
Myriads of these birds were there sitting on their eggs. The individuals
were older than those which we had seen on the Magdeleine Islands; for
the more advanced in life the individuals of any species are, the more
anxious are they to reproduce, the sooner do they proceed to their summer
residence, and the more extensive is the range of their migration northward.
On the other hand, the younger the bird is, the farther south it
removes during winter, both because it thus enjoys a milder climate, and
requires less exertion in procuring its food; whereas the older individuals
not only have a stronger constitution, but are more expert in discovering
and securing their prey, so that it is not necessary for them to extend
their journey so far.