664 STERNA ANGLICA, GULL-BILLED TERN. 



STERNA (GEL0(3eELTD0N) ANGLICA, Mont. 



Gull-billed Tern. 



Sterna angJica, Mont., Orn. Diet. Suppl. 1813, p. —.—Leach, Cat. 1816, 41.— Temm., Man. 

 Orn. ii, 1820, 745.— Flem., Br. An. 1828, 143.— Nutt., Mau. ii, 18:34, 269.— Jen., 

 Man. 1835, 269.— Eyt., Cat. Br. B. 1836, 54.— AuD., Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 127, pi. 

 410 ; Syn. 1839, 316 ; B. Am. vii, 1844, 81, pi. 430.— Keys. & Blas., Wirb. Eur. 

 1840, 98.— ScHiNZ, Eur. Fii. 1840, 374.— DeKay, N. Y. Zool. 1844, 301, pi. 127, f. 

 270.— GiR., B. L. I. 1844, 353.— Schl., Rev. Crit. Ois. Eur. 1844, 130.— Gkay', G. 

 of B. iii, 1849, 659 ; List Br. B. 1863, 241.— Degl., Oru. Eur. ii, 1849, 336.— Putn., 

 Pr. Ess. Inst, i, 1856, 230 (quotes Emm., B. Mass. p. 6).— Tuknb., B. E. Pa. 1869, 

 38. — Maxim., Beit, iv, 867 (Brazil). — Radde, Reise, ii, 1863, 388 (Siberia). — 

 Coues, Key, 1872, 319.— Ridgw., Ann. Lye. N. Y. x, 1874, 391 (Illinois). 



Thalasseus anglicus, BoiE, Isis, 1822, 563. 



Viralva mujUca, Steph., Gen. Zool. xiii, 1826, 174. 



Laropis avgJica, Wagl., Isis, 1832, 1225. 



Gdochelidon anglica, Bp., List, 1838, 61 ; Compt. Rend. 1856, 772.— Boie, Isis, 1844, 187.— 

 Coues, Pr. Phiia. Acad. 1862, 536 (critical).— Coues, Ibis, 1864, 389 (Guate- 

 mala).— Salv., Ibis, 1866, 199 (Guatemala).— Coues, Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1868, 308.— 

 Lawk., Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. 1866, 299 (New York).— Coues, Pr. Bost. Soc. xii, 

 1868, 126 (S. Carolina).— Gundl., Rep. F. N. i, 392 (Cuba ; Cab., J. f. O. v, 234).— 

 SCL. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1871, .5:2 (Tropical America).— Blas., J. f. 0. 1866, 82. 



Sterna stnhherica, Otto, "Dents. IJbers. Buffon." 



Sterna aranea, Wils., Am. Orn., viii, 1814, 143, pi. 72, f, 6.— Vieill., Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. 

 Nat. 1819, 169 ; Fn. Fran?. 1828, 398.— Bp., Syn. 1828, 354.— Lawu., B. N. A. 

 1858, 859.— Wheat., Ohio Agrie. Rep. 1860, No. 272.— Coues & Pkent., Smiths. 

 Rep. 1861, 418.— Allen, Pr. Ess. Inst, iv, 1864, 90.— Press., Ibis, 1866, 44 

 (Texas). — Pelz., Oru. Bras. 325 (Brazil). — Burm., Syst. Uebers. iii, 452. 



GelocJielidon aranea, Bp., List, 1838, 61. 



Sterna risoria, Brehm, Lehrb. 1823, 683 ; " Beitr. iii, 650." 



Sterna macrotarsa, Gould. 



Sterna affinis, Horse, {fide Blas.). 



Geloehcfidon jmlustris, Macgil., Man. ii, 1842, 237 : Br. B, v, — . 



Gelochelidon balthica, agrarta, rneridionalis, Brehm, V. D. 772, 773, 774. 



DiAG. S. rostra irevi, rohusto ; rostro pedihusque nigris ; pallio cosridescentc-perlaceo, nropy- 

 gio concolwe, caudd emarginafd. 



Hal). — Nearly cosmopolitan. In North America, chiefly Eastern United States ; not 

 detected on the Pacific side. Patagonia (Darwin, Voy. Beag. 145). 



Adult in summer. — Bill with the culmen regularly declinato-convex from near the 

 base to the tip ; the culmen broad and flattened, especially basally. Outline of rami a 

 little concave ; gonys very long, its outline about straight. Depth of bill at base a 

 third of total length ; its width very much less than its height. Both mandibles 

 marked with numerous longitudinal stria?. Angle between the rami moderately acute ; 

 the symphyseal eminence well marked ; the tip not very acute. Nasal groove exceed- 

 ingly short, wide, of somewhat triangular shape, not deep. Nostrils unusually wide, 

 broadly oval, short, lateral, pervious, placed very far back, only just anterior to the 

 termination of the feathers. The feathers extend on tlie side of the bill but little fur- 

 ther than on the culmen, the re-entrant angle formed there being very obtuse. Those 

 on the side of the lower mandible do not extend so far as on the npper. Submental 

 space feathered almost to the symphysis. Head of ordinary sternine aspect ; body 

 rather stout, full, and thick set. Wing lengthened, as long as the whole body and tail. 

 Primaries exceedingly long, narrowing i-egularly from base to tip, which latter is atten- 

 uated and acute. The first surpasses the second by a full inch ; the rest are rapidly 

 graduated. Secondaries short and inconspicuous. Tertials rather long, broad, and 

 flowing. Tail quite short for this subfamily, contained 2i times, or more, on the wing 

 from the carpus. The eiuarginatiou is moderate, amounting to about If inches. The 

 middle pair of feathers are broad almost to their very tips, which are rounded, with 

 only a slightly acute apex just at the tip of the rhachis ; the lateral (mes grow success- 

 ively more elongated and tapering; the outer pair maintains its breadth until within 

 about an inch of the tip, when it rather suddenly narrows and grows acute. The feet 

 are rather long ; the tarsus considerably exceeding the middle toe and claw. The tibia? 

 are long, naked for half an inch, but have no feathers inserted into them for three- 

 fourths of an inch, and are perfectly smooth, with no scutellie or reticulations. The 

 tarsus is compressed, moderately smooth, anteriorly defended with the ordinary row of 

 ecutella, which break up toward the tibio-tarsal joint into two or more rows; posteri- 

 orly and laterally it is reticulated with small, smooth, very regular polygonal (chiefly 

 hexagonal) scales. Anterior toes of ordinary relative length ; but the hallux is remark- 



