LIFE HISTORIES OF XORTH AMERICAN GULI^S AND TERNS. 249 



Canary, and Madeira Islands; in northern Africa and in temperate 

 Asia, from Turkestan to Lake Baikal. 



Winter range. — A few birds winter as far north as Florida (St. 

 Johns River), but the main winter range is in South America, all 

 along both coasts, as far south as the Straits of Magellan. In the 

 Eastern Hemisphere, Africa, ranging to the Cape, and southern 

 Asia. 



Spring migration. — Early dates of arrival: Masaschusetts, April 

 20 to 25 ; St. Lawrence River, May 20 ; Pennsylvania, Erie, April 26 ; 

 Ohio, Columbus, April 4; South Dakota, April 20; Colorado, New 

 Windsor, May 14; California, Point Pinos, April 29. Late dates of 

 departure : Brazil, Barra, May 1 ; Chile, Valparaiso, April 23 ; Peru, 

 Ancon, May 10. 



Fall migration. — Early dates of arrival : Argentina, Mar del Plata, 

 September 18 ; Chile, Valparaiso, September 17 ; Straits of Magellan, 

 Punta Arenas, November 19. Late dates of departure: Massachu- 

 setts, Barnstable, November 14, and Woods Hole, December 2 ; Penn- 

 sylvania, Erie, September 26 ; Ohio, Cincinnati, November 11 ; British 

 Columbia, Comox, September 24; California, Point Pinos, October 

 17; Lower California, San Jose del Cabo, September 30. 



Egg dates. — North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba : Thirty- 

 six records, May 31 to July 15 ; eighteen records, June 11 to 21. Vir- 

 ginia : Thirty-five records. May 27 to July 19 ; eighteen records, June 

 11 to 27. Maine: Twenty-one records. May 29 to July 26; eleven 

 records, June 14 to July 4. 



STERNA PARADISAEA Brunnich. 



ASCTIC TERN. 



HABITS. 



Contributed by Charles Wendell Tonmsend. 



The casual observer, fascinated by the sight of a flock of graceful 

 terns diving for fish on the New England coast, naturally supposes 

 they are all of one kind, and is told they are mackerel gulls. The 

 ornithologist enjoys the same esthetic charm in the sight, but has 

 often the added intellectual pleasure of discovering several distinct 

 species in the flock. Common terms are generally in the majority 

 but arctic and roseate terns may also be seen, as Avell as least and 

 black terns. It would be difficult to point out to the untrained ob- 

 server the differences between the common and arctic terns, but they 

 can be recognized Avith a little practice and without the use of the 

 gun. The feeding and nesting habits, mode of flight, size, and 

 general appearance of these two species are, however, very much 

 alike. 



The Arctic tern breeds throughout the entire circumpolar regions 

 as far north as it can find land, and south in this country to northern 



