﻿1848. BLACK-BELLIED AND CAYENNE TERNS. 87 



age with black-tipped wings, combined with their 

 great size, gives them an imposing appearance. 

 Exceeding the fishing eagle and the swan in bulk, 

 they are the largest birds in the country. Their 

 eggs are deposited on rocky islets among strong 

 rapids, where they cannot be easily approached by 

 man or beasts of prey. The species is named from 

 a rido'e or crest which rises from the middle line 



o 



of the upper mandible of the male ; sometimes 

 from its whole length, when it is generally uneven ; 

 and sometimes from a short part only, when it is 

 semicircular and smooth-edged. 



The black-bellied tern {Hydi^ochelidon nigra) is 

 also abundant on these waters, and ranges north- 

 wards to the upper part of the Mackenzie. And the 

 Cayenne tern {Sterna cay ana) is common in this 

 quarter and onwards to beyond the arctic circle ; 

 but notwithstanding Mr. Rae's expertness as a 

 fowler, and eagerness to procure me a specimen, 

 the extreme wariness of the bird frustrated all his 

 endeavours until this day, when he brought one 

 down, and gave me an opportunity of examining 

 it, which I was glad to do, since from want of a 

 northern specimen the bird was not noticed in the 

 Fauna Boreali- Americana. Mr. Audubon mentions 

 the great difficulty of shooting this bird, and he 

 succeeded in doing so only by employing several 

 boats to approach its haunts in different directions. 



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