BIRDS — STERNINAE — STEKNA PIKEI. 



863 



Sp. Cii. — .Idull. Upper part, and Hides of the head to a lino just below the eye, and hind neck, black ; back and wings bluish 

 ^ray ; primaries grayish wliite on the outer webs, and dusky gray on the inner next the shaft, and over the entire wtb at the 

 end, darker on the inner margin, the remaining portion of inner webs while ; tail bhiish gray, except llio outer web of the 

 outer tail feather which is white, the inner web of this feather blackish gray for about two inches from the end ; rump white 

 with a slight tingo of pale bluish gray ; sides of the head, throat, and entire under surfiice, white; in llio dried specimens the bill 

 is orange yellow at the base, black near the end, with the tip pale yellow ; legs and feet scarlet. 



Lengtli of skin 14 inches ; wing, Idj ; tail, G ; bill, Ij ; tarsus, J. 



JIab. — Louisiana to Florida ; New York, fur countries, and California. 



Tliree specimens are in the collection. 



It is distinguished from S. wilsoni by having the outer web of the exterior tail feather white, 

 and the end of the inner web dusky gray, the reverse of wilsoni ; the tarsi are also uniformly 

 longer, as in five specimens now before me. 



List of specimens. 



STERNA PARADISEA, Briinnich. 



TKe Roseate Tern. 



Sterna paradisea, Brinn. Orn. Bor 1764, 46. 



Sterna dougalUi, Nutt Man. II, 1834, 278.— Add. Orn. Biog. Ill, 1835, 296.— Ib. Birds. Am. Vll, 1841, 112 ; pi. 

 ccccxxxvii. 



Sp. Ch. — Mull. Upper part of the head and long occipital feathers deep black ; hind neck white ; back and wings pale bluish 

 gray ; first primary blackish gray on the outer web and on the inner next the shaft ; the other primaries bluish gray, ihe second 

 and third dusky gray near the shaft ; all the primaries white on the inner part of their inner webs ; secondaries and tertiaries 

 edged willi white ; tail very light pearl gray ; entire under plumage while, with a beautiful roseate tinge ; bill brownish black, 

 orange at the base ; iris brown ; legs and feet vermilion. 



Length, 16 inches ; wing, 95 ; tail, 8 ; bill, 1 j ; tarsus, 13-16. 



//aft.— Florida to New York. 



Specimens in my cabinet and that of Prof. Baird. 



STERNA PIKEI, Lawrence. 



Tlic .Slcniler-billcd Ttiii. 



Sterna pikei, Lawh. Annals N. Y. Lyceum, VII, 1853, 3. 



Sp. Ch. — Mult. Front white speckled with dark gray; crown and occiput black ; back and wings bluish gr.iy ; smaller 

 wing coverts dark plumbeous ; outer web of the first primary brownish black, inner web next the shaft dusky gray, with the 

 inner margin white ; the other primaries are dark bluish gray on the outer webs and on the inner next the shaft, als j at the end 

 of the inner web ; inner webs of all the tail feathers white, the outer webs of the long lateral tail feathers grayish black with 

 the tip white, outer webs of the others very pale gray ; throat, upper tail coverts and wliolc under plumage, while ; bill dark 

 brown tinged with dark red (probably deep carmine in the living bird) ; legs and feet orancc. 



Length, 13 inches ; wing, 9 ; tail, 5^ ; t;ill, I^ ; tarsus, J . 



Hab. — Coast of California. 



One specimen in my cabinet. 



