710 ANGUS STOLIDUS, NODDY TERN. 



the base ; elsevi'berc depressed, taperiug to an aeiiniinate and somewhat decnrved tip. 

 Fore end of nostrils nearly bait-way to end of bill, tbe fossic long and deep. No frontal 

 antiiv ; outline of featbers on base of bill convex (reverse of Sterna). Wings Init mod- 

 erately long for tbis subfamily, tbe second primary but little sborter tban tbe lirst. 

 Tail very long, broad, fan-sbaped, double-rounded, ). r., graduated laterally, yet with 

 central feathers shoiter tban the next. Tarsi very short, robust, less tban tlie middle 

 toe without its claw. Lateral toes, especially the inner, unusually lengthened ; hallux 

 well develo^ied. Webs broad and full, not incised. Claws short, stout, little curved, 

 but very acute. Podotbeca nearly smooth, from tendency to fusion of tbe plates, there 

 being but a single detiued row of scutella in front, with delicate reticulations else- 

 where ; tbe soles of tbe webs are perfectly smooth. Edges of middle claw dilated and 

 somewhat pectinate. Plumage dark or nearly unicolor. 



In addition to these external characters may be noted : Ej'es small, the anterior can- 

 thus just over the angle of tbe mouth. Lobes of liver very unequal. Proventricular 

 zone narrow, with small follicles. Ca;ca remarkably long for this subfamily. Duo- 

 denal fold very short. Hepatic and pancreatic ducts opening close by each other. 

 Bronchial half-rings weak and imperfect, tbe up^jer part of the tube being almost mem- 

 branous. Lobulation of the kidneys more as in Larus than in Sterna. 



The generic synonyms above given all apply to stolida and its immediate allies, of 

 which there are several. Only one occurs in North America ; a second, A. tenuirostris,* 

 is found in Middle America. 



ANGUS STOLIDUS, (Linn.) Gray. 



Jfoddy Tern. 



Sterna stolida, Linn., i, 1766, 227 (Amoeu. Acad. 240 ; Hirundo marina major, capitc albo, 

 Sloane, Jam. i, 31, pi. 6, f. 2 ; Cat., Car. i, 80 ; Larus (javia fiisca, Briss., vi, 

 199, pi. 18, f. 2; Passer sttdtus, Eay, 154).— Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 17c8, 605.— Lath., 

 Ind. Orn..ii, 1790, 805.— Less., Voy. Coq. i, 1826, 244 (Chili).— Bp., Svn. 1828, 

 350.— NuTT., Man. ii, 1834, 285.— Aud., Oru. Biog. iii, 1835,516; v, 1839, 642; 

 pi. 275 ; Syn. 1839, 322 ; B. Am. vii, 1844, 153, pi, 440.— Jenyns, Man. 1835, 270 

 (Ireland).— SciiL., Rev. Crit. 1844, 131 (Europe).— Thomps., Trans. Linn. Soc. 

 1835 ; Nat. Hist. Ireland, iii, 308 (Ireland).- Knox, Zool. 1866,306 (Ireland).— 

 Harting, Br. B. 1872, 170 (Ireland). — Maxim., Beitr. iv, 874. — BuRM., Syst. 

 Uebers. iii, 543. 



Mefjalopterus stolidus, Bp., List, 1838, 61.— Keys. & Blas., Wirb. Eur. 1840, 98.— Macgil., 

 Man. ii, 1842, 236. 



Anoiis stolidus, Gray, List Gen. of B. iii, 1841, 100 ; Gen. of B. iii, 1849, 661 ; List Brit. 

 B. 1863, 244 (Ireland).— Cab., J. f. O. v, 234 (Cuba).— La wr., B. N. A. 1S58, 

 865.— ScL., Ibis, i, 1859, 233 (Central America).— Bry., Pr. Bost. Soc. vii, 134 

 (Bahamas). — Blas., List B. Eur. 1862, 22 (quotes Yarr., iii, 417). — Coues, Pr. 

 Phila. Acad. 1862, .557.— Coues, Ibis, 1864, 393 (Honduras).— Lawr., Ann. Lye. 

 N. Y. viii, 1864, 106 (Sombrero).— Guxdl., Rep. F. N. i, 393 (Cuba).— Sund., 

 Ofv. K. A. V. Forb. (St. Bartholomew) ; P. Z. S. 1871. 125 (Galapagos).— ScL. 

 & Salv., p. Z. S. 1871, 556 (Middle America, south to Brazil and Chili).— 

 (?)HuTTOX, B. N. Zeal. 1871, 43.— Coues, Key, 1872, 323. 



Anous niger, Steph., Gen. Zool. xiii, 140.— Evt., Cat. ISr. B. 1836, 55. 



Gavia Iciicoceps, S^y.. Classif. B. ii, 1837, 373 (tyne P. E. 997). 



(?) Anous fruter, Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1862, 558 (Pacific). (Var. ?) 



(?) Sterna pihata, ScoP., Sonn. Voy. 125, pi. 85. 



(?) Sterna phiUppina, Lath., Ind. Oru. ii. 1790, 805 {=^pileata, ^cov.). 



"Anous rousseaui, Hartl.," fide Gray & Blas. 



"Anous uuicolor, ERM.,jur.," fide Gp.ay & Blas. 



" Sterna tenuirostris, Bl'yth," j^ffe Blas. (Not of Temm.) 



DiA(}. A. futiginosus uuicolor, alis caudin[ue nigresceutihus, fronti ct vertice albis, pedihus 

 rubesccnte-fuscis, rostro nigro. Long. Ui.OO 2)oU.; «/« 10.0U-U).50; roslr. 1.7b; tars. l.OO. 



Hab. — South Atlantic aud Gulf coast of North America. Bahamas. Cuba. Middle 

 America generally, bolh sides. South to Brazil aud Chili. Various warm seas. Aus- 

 tralia (Gould) ; New Zealand (Huttou). Accitiental iu Europe. 



* Anous tenuirostris (Temm.). 



Sterna tenuirostris, Tejim., P. C. 202. 



Anous tenuirostris, Coues, Ibis, 1864, 393 (Honduras).— Salv., Ibis, 1866, 200 (the 

 same).— ScL. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1871, .566 (tbe same). 



This is readily distinguished from A. stolidus by its blackish instead of fuliginous 

 plumage, shsnder bill, aud other chiracters. The discrimination, however, of the sev- 

 eral current blackish species is difficult. Gray places tenuirostris, Temm., as a synonym 

 of scnex, Leach, and gives the habitat as Afrcia. 



