By and by they all sat down to rest and to watch the gulls, for there were many here-about.
“We have seen birds like these before, have we not?” said Uncle George.
“Yes,” said Tom, “we see them at home in the fields at spring-time. But are these the same kind of gulls?”
“Yes, Tom, they are. There are several kinds of gulls. Here we have just two kinds. The common gull and the tern. You can tell the one from the other even in the distance by their mode of flying.
“Do you see that one flying rapidly over the sea? Every now and then he swoops down to the water and skims along, almost touching it with the tips of his long, pointed wings. Do you know any other bird that flies like that?”
Gull flying.
“The swallow flies over the lake at home something like that,” said Frank.
“That is so,” said Uncle George. “The tern is very like the swallow both in shape and in his manner of flight. He differs, however, in size and colour. He is often called the ‘sea-swallow,’ and is the smallest of the gull family.
“Your swallows at home catch flies and other insects as they skim through the air. The ‘sea-swallows’ live on fish. Every time they dart down they seize and swallow a little fish. But it is done so quickly that you cannot see it.