/'t 



/*/' 



'^ 





-"> . 



»f^ * 



;^,^«^^^ v^W- 

 I Grayish buff.] 



■V 



'^ 



38 North American Birds Eggs. 



65. Royal Tern. Sterna ina.riiiui. 



l^.^i^^rp.—Tt'iiiperate North and South America, breeding in the United States 

 l(icaH\" from Texas and the Gulf States northward to the northern boundary of 

 the United States. 



The Royal Terns nest in ^ .^^.-«..- 



great numbers on the coasts ^^> ^^,^, -» - -^ ^ 



and islands on the South 

 Atlantic and Gulf States 

 and in the marshes of south- 

 ern Texas, Like the for- 

 mer species they lay two or 

 three eggs in a hollow on the 

 bare sand. The eggs are the 

 same size but differ in l)eing 

 more pointed and having a 

 lighter ground and with the 

 markings more bold and dis- 

 tinct. Size 2.60x1.70. Data. 

 — Ragged Is., Bahamas. No 

 nest. Eggs laid on sand bank. 

 Never have seen in the Tropics 

 more than a single egg in a 

 nest. Collector, D. P. Ingraham. 

 66. Elegant Tern. Sterna elegeini<. 



Range.— Pacific Coast of South and Central America ; north to California in 

 summer. 



_ A similar bird to the Royal 



, "^ ^ ' ifc"" - - Tern, but easily distinguished by 



its smaller size, slenderer bill, and 

 more graceful form. In the breed- 

 ing plumage the under parts of 

 these Terns are tinged with rosy, 

 which probably first gave the birds 

 their name. They breed on the 

 coasts and islands of Mexico and 

 Central America, placing their 

 eggs on the sand. They are be- 

 lieved to lav but a single egg, 

 like that of the Roval Tern, but 

 __ smaller. Size 2.40 x" 1.40. Data.— 



^ ^ Honduras, Central America, June 



5, 1899. Single egg laid on the 

 K w-Avn culur.j sandy beach. 



67. Cabot Tern. Sterna set luJvirensis anitlarida 



Range.— A tropical species breeding 

 regularly north to the Bahamas and 

 Florida ; casually farther north. A 

 beautiful l)ird distinguished from the 

 three preceding ones by its smaller 

 size (sixteen inches) and by the bill #' 



which is black with a yellow tip. They ^ /| 



nest in colonies on the shores of islands | • i 

 in the West Indies and Bahamas, but S , 

 not to a great extent on the United A " 



States Coast. Their two or three eggs 

 have a creamy ground and are boldly 

 marked with brown and black. Size 

 2.10 X 1.40. 









^ 



[Cream color. 



