STERNA FULIGINOSA, SOOTY TERN. 699 



Casual in Europe (as above). Asceusion Island {CoUingivood, Zool. 980; Sperling, Ibis, 

 18G8, 286). South America to Chili {Phil. & Landh.). Middle America aud various West 

 Indian i&lands. Pacific coast of Mexico (Socorro, Graynon). In North America on the 

 South Atlantic aud Gulf coast : north reguharly only to the Carolinas ; casually to Penn- 

 sylvania (Chester Countj', Barnard, in lit., Baird) ) extension to New England denied. 



Adult in spring pluviage. — With the form, &c., as already detailed under head of the 

 subgenus. Bill black. Legs and feet black. Claws black. Iris dull red. Ou the fore- 

 head is a broad lunula of white, the cornua of which extend backward over the eye to 

 about opposite its middle ; its convex borders separated from the white of the lower 

 part of the cheeks by a straight rather broad band of brownish-black, which extends 

 from the eye obliquely downward and forward to the bill. The entire upper parts are 

 black, dee^j and uniform, with considerable of a greenish gloss, specially noticeable on 

 the crown. Entire under parts from chin to end of inferior tail-coverts, sides of the 

 head below the eye, sides of the ueck more than half way around, with inferior alar 

 tectrices, \)nv6 white. Primaries deep brownish-black, lighter ou the inner webs ; their 

 shafts superiorly light brown, interiorly white. Secondaries like the primaries, but 

 the greater part of their inner webs whitish. Tail glossy brownish-black above, duller 

 below ; the elongated exterior rectrices white, with white shafts, deepening into black- 

 ish toward the extremities, principally of their inner webs. 



Young-of-the-year. — Smaller than the adults, the bill esiiecially much smaller and 

 weaker. Upper mandible black; the under dull reddish, deeper toward the tip; eyes 

 and feet dull reddish. The entire plumage is of a nearly uuiform brownish or grayish 

 fuliginous ; darker on the upper jjarts ; still deeper ou the primaries, where it is almost 

 black ; lighter on the under parts, so much so as to fade on the abdomen into grayish- 

 white. The superior alar tectrices aud the scapulars are all broadly tipped with white, 

 which gives a very peculiar spotted aspect to the parts. The feathers of the back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts, are all margined and tipped with dull rufous, which 

 causes these parts to present a remarkable transversely-waved appearance. The tail 

 is uniformly of much the same color as the wings, all the rectrices fading toward their 

 apices into dull brownish. It is simply emarginate, instead of being deeply forked 

 the lateral rectrices having but a slight elongation. 



Dimensions of the adult. — Average length, about IG.iSO; extent of wings, 33 to 35. Wing 

 from the carpus, 12 ; tail, 7 to 7.50 ; depth of fork, 3. to 3.50. Bill along culnien, l.b'O ; 

 along commissure, 2.50 ; frotn feathers on side of lower mandible, 1.90 ; height at base 

 0.50. Tibiio bare, 0.70 ; tarsus, 1 ; middle toe and claw, 1.20 ; outer ditto, 1.05 ; inner 

 ditto, 0.75 ; hallux and its claw, 0.30. 



This species is too well known, and too distinct from any other of North America, to 

 require any further description or comparison. The plunmge of the young, above de- 

 tailed, is very peculiar, and interesting as being a stare upon which one or two nominal 

 species have been founded. It is very different from that of the adults. As the bird 

 in this condition grows older the abdomen and under parts generally become lighter 

 at the same time that the upper portions of the body deepen in color. The rufous 

 margins of the feathers of the back and the white tips of the alar tectrices gradually 

 disappear, and the white front begins to make its appearance. The lateral feathers of 

 the tail acciuire length and tenuity and become whitish. While the bird is undergo- 

 ing these changes it has also been characterized by some authors as a distinct species. 



A specimen from Socorro (No. 508G1, A. J. Grayson), aud another from Isabella 

 Island, are different in some respects from anj' others I have seen. The under parts 

 from the middle of the belly backward, including the tail-coverts, are distinctly washed 

 over with clear, pale slate-gray, which appears in striking contrast to the pure white 

 of the re.st of the under parts. The line of demarcation of the two colors is evident. I 

 Lave not specimens enough to say whether this is a constant feature of the birds from 

 that locality. This is the ibrm named var. crissalix, as above. 



A large suite of specimens from various Pacitic localities, in the Smith.sonian, col- 

 lected by the United States lixploring Expedition, shows me no characters by which a 

 second species may be distiuguished iiomfuliginona. 



Anatomical characters. — The mouth presents but slight variations from the ordinary 

 type. Median ridge commeiucs an inch and a fpiarter from the tip; is brt)ad aud not 

 very proniiiu-nt; small ol)tMse pa]iilhe- are thinly scattered over its whole surface. 

 Lateral ridges are somewhat sinuate, and extend backward hardly beyt)nd tlie termina- 

 tion of the median ridge. They are thickly jiapillate. Opening of posterior nares 

 three-fourths of an inch long. Palate jtosteriorly considerably saulted ; tiie oval aper- 

 turi! at its extremity short ; the obli(ine fringe of papilhi- that proceed ou eiiliei- side 

 short and slightly developed. 'I'his portion of the miuUh is marked with <lelicato 

 oblii|ue striic. There are several folds ot uuuons meud)raue at th(< angle of I hi- month. 

 Tongue one and a quarter inches long: very acnti-, corneous on its anterioi two-thirds; 

 its posterior extremity obtusely emarginate, thickly papillate. Iviina glottidis one-fourth 

 long; situate rat iier more tiian this distance from the base of the tongue; its edges 

 smooth, t<'iininaily pa])illate, and tiiese p;iitilla' e.\ten<l for some dislanei^ on either siiU'. 



(Esojdiagus between five and six inches long, including the proveiitriculus; present- 



