SILVERY TERN. 281 



merely deposited in a slight scratch in the sand, and left to 

 hatch in the heat of the san ; the bird, as usual, sitting on 

 them only during the night, and in wet and stormy weather ; 

 they are nearly white, or yellowish-white, blotched almost all 

 over with umber-brown spots, sometimes appearing shaded 

 with others of a subdued tint beneath the surface. They 

 are about 1^ inches by ^ of an inch in breadth. On ap- 

 proaching their breeding places, the old birds assemble in 

 crowds around the i^Jruder, and after a good deal of vocif- 

 eration, flying round in wide circuits, they often approach 

 within a few yards of one's head, squeaking almost like so 

 many young pigs, and appear to be very irritable and re- 

 sentful. At other times, when not excited or alarmed, they 

 are tame and unsuspicious, particularly the young birds; 

 often heedlessly passing the spectator within a few yards, 

 while tracing the windings of the shore in quest of their 

 prey. 



The Silvery Tern is about 9^ to 10 inches long. (The European 

 species, or Lesser Tern, 8 to 8^ inches only) and 20 in alar extent. 

 Bill pale yellow. Front, and short line scarcely extending over the 

 eye, white. Crown, band through the eye proceeding to the base 

 of the nostrils and hind head, black, this color descending to a 

 point on the nape. Cheeks, or all the space beneath the eye, 

 sides of the neck and whole lower parts bright glossy white. Neck 

 above, upper part of the back, rump, tail coverts, and wings, pale 

 ash, or pearl grey. The 2 first primaries and their shafts black, 

 their inner edges with a broad white space. Tail pale ash, white 

 beneath, forked, the 2 outer feathers about an inch and 4 lines longer 

 than the inner ones, and tapering to a point. Legs and feet yellow, 

 claws black, compressed, narrow, long, acute and much curved. — 

 Obs. The tail, in the European species is jJurc ichite. The bill and 

 legs orange, and its upper parts are darker ; it is also a smaller bird. 

 — By some inadvertence Wilson describes the bill and legs as bright 

 reddish-yelloic ; we have never seen any specimens so colored, and 

 his own figure is tinted in those parts pale yellow as in nature with 

 us. That our bird is that of Brazil we have no further evidence 

 24* 



