40 



North American Birds Eggs. 



[68. [ Trudeau Tern. Sfrnia tnidcdiii. 



Range. -South America; accidental along the coast of the United States. 



A rare and unique species with a form similar to the following, but with the 

 coloration entirely different. About fifteen inches in length ; tail long and 

 deeply forked : bill yellow with a band of black about the middle. Whole head 

 pure white, shading into the pearly color of the upper and under parts. A nar- 

 row band of black through the eye and over the ear coverts. A very rare species 

 that is supposed to breed in southern South America. Given a place among 

 North American birds on the strength of a specimen seen bv Audubon off Long 

 Island. 



69. Forster Tern. Sfrnifi forsfrri. 



// 





^ 



Range.— Temperate North America, breeding from Manitoba, ^Slass. and Cali- 

 fornia, south to the Gulf Coast and Texas. 



Length about fifteen inches : tail long and deeply forked ; crown black, back 

 and wings pearl and under parts white. Bill orange red. This species and the 



three following are the most graceful of 

 =:^~*-^ l)irds in appearance and flight. Their 



,-*^#' ^ ■ ^ ^^ movements can only be likened to those 



J^X^ 1 -■ ■^^J "' '^^"^ "^ ^^^^ Swallows, from which they get the 



* "-^ ^' xe- * ~ name of "Sea Swallows." Their food 



consists of fish, which they get by diving, 

 and marine insects. They breed by 

 thousands in the marshes from Manitoba 

 to Texas and along the South Atlantic 

 coast. The eggs are laid in a hollow on 

 the dry grassy portions of the islands or 

 marshes. They generally lay three eggs 

 and rarely four. They are buffy or brown- 

 ish spotted with dark brown and lilac. 

 Size 1.80 X l.SO. Data.— Cobb's Island, Va., June 8, 1887. Eggs in a hollow on 

 grassy bank. Collector, F. H. Judson. 



I'.ruwiiish buff. I 



70. Common Tern. Stcnid hinindo. 



Range.— Eastern North America, breeding both on the coastand in the i 

 from the Gulf States northward. 



This bird differs from the preceding chiefly 

 in having a bright red bill tipped with black, 

 and the under parts washed with pearl. 

 These are the most common Terns on the 

 New England coast, nesting abundantly 

 from Virginia to Newfoundland. These 

 beautiful Terns, together with (jthers of the 

 family, were formerly killed by thousands 

 for millinery purpos'es, but the practice is 

 now being rapidly stopped. In May and 

 June they lay their three, or sometimes four 

 eggs on the ground as do the other Terns. 

 They are similar to the preceding species 

 but average shorter. Data. — Duck Is., 

 Maine, June 30, 1896. Three eggs in marsh grass about 

 No nest. Collector, C. A. Reed. 



nterior 



tiftv feet from beach. 



