296 BULLETIN 113, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



with other terns on the coast. Mr. William Brewster (1878) says 

 of their feeding habits in Massachusetts : 



Tliey associated most commonly with the Wilson's and roseate terns, and 

 procured their food in the same way, hovering over the schools of bluefish 

 and pouncing upon the small fry which these voracious creatures drove to the 

 surface. The stomachs of all the specimens which were dissected contained 

 the macerated remains of small fishes only. In no case were any insects 

 detected. 



My own experience with the bird in this State is somewhat differ- 

 ent, for I have seen large numbers of them hovering over the meadows 

 and grassy marshes, catching insects in the air and darting down to 

 pick them off the tall waving grasses, just as they do in the western 

 sloughs. I have also seen them feeding with the common terns, but I 

 believe that they prefer insect food when they can find it. In the 

 interior the black tern is almost wholly insectivorous; its food in- 

 cludes crayfish, small moUusks, dragon flies, moths, grasshoppers, 

 crickets, beetles, spiders, water scorpions, flies, and a great variety of 

 other insects, nearly all of which are caught on the wing. Dr. R. 

 M. Anderson (1907) says: 



They evince little fear of man, and large numbers will often follow a man 

 plowing, hovering over his head and looking for grubs turned up by the plow. 

 They are often killed with a whip at such times. 



In the South it has been seen capturing the moths of the cotton- 

 boll worm in flight over the fields of young plants. Its ability to 

 catch dragon flies, one of the swiftest of insects, is sufficient proof 

 that the black tern is an expert flycatcher. Mr. Ernest E. Thomp- 

 son (1890) says in regard to this performance: 



Besides aquatic insects, the black tern feeds largely on dragon flies, which 

 it adroitly captures on the wing. The bird may frequently be seen dashing 

 about in a zigzag manner so swiftly the eye can offer no explanation of its 

 motive until, on the resumption of its ordinary flights, a large dragon fly is 

 seen hanging from its bill and sufficiently accounts for the erratic movements of 

 the bird. After having captured its prey in this way I have frequently seen 

 a tern apparently playing with its victim, letting it go and catching it again, 

 or, if it is unable to fly, dropping it, and darting under it to seize it again and 

 again before it touches the water. 



I have watched black terns for hours beating the air over the 

 v^j^estern sloughs, dipping down frequently to pick up some small 

 morsel of insect food from the surface of the water, but I have never 

 seen them plunge into the water, as they would do if they were after 

 minnows. They glean much of their food from the tall, waving 

 grasses, reeds, flags, and bullrushes. Their eyes must be very keen to 

 find the small insects and spiders which crawl up the stalks to hide, 

 and they are certainly expert at swooping down and catching them. 

 At certain times, especially when it is blowing hard or raining, count- 

 less millions of mosquitoes, flies, small dragon flies, and other small 



