THE GREAT, or COMMON TERN. 



(Sterna hiruiido, Lin. Lath. sp. 15. Temm. ii. p. 740. Bonap. Syn, 

 No. 286. Wilson, vii. p. 76. pi. 60. fig. 1. Richard. North. Zool. ii. 

 p. 412? Great Tern, Penn. Arct. Zool. No. 448. L'Hirondella- 

 de-mer Pierre garin, Buff. Ois. vii. p. 331. t. 27. PI. Enlum. 987. 

 Bewick, ii. 181. Phil. Museum, No. 3485.) 



Sp. Charact. — Bill of moderate dimensions, rather robust, red 

 tipt with black ; crown black ; quill shafts white ; outer vane of 

 the 1st primary bluish-white ; tail deeply forked ; tarsus red, near- 

 ly 1 inch long; webs of the feet entire. — Adult both in summer 

 and winter with the crown black. Young, soiled white, varied 

 with grey, brown and pale rufous, and with the nape only mark- 

 ed with black. 



The common Tern is an inhabitant of both continents, 

 being met with on the coasts of most parts of Europe as far 

 north as the ever inclement shores of Greenland and Spits- 

 bergen ; it is also found on the arctic coasts of Siberia and 

 Kamtschatka. In the winter it migrates to the Mediter- 

 ranean, Madeira, and the Canary Islands. In America, it 



