THE 



WILSON BULLETIN 



NO. 55. 



A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY 



VOL. XVIII JUNE, 1906 NO. 2 



A CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE 



COMMON (Sterna hirundo) AND ROSEATE 



{S. dougaUi) TERNS. 



BY LYNDS JONES. 

 THE COMMON TERN. 



We are more indebted to Mr. George H. Mackay than to any 

 one other person for what is known of the life history of this 

 tern, as well as of the life history of the several species of the 

 gulls and terns which breed on the coast of Massachusetts. 

 Mr. Mackay's extended studies have appeared in volumes 12 

 to 16 inclusive of The Auk. I shall not repeat the points in 

 the life history of this species which he has fully covered, but 

 attempt to supplement what he has given, and to indicate 

 changes in habits where they may have occurred in the inter- 

 val between his studies and mine. 



The studies upon which this paper are based were carried 

 on during parts of the summers of 1903 and 4, with Woods 

 Hole, Massachusetts, as a base of operations, and with all of 

 the facilities of the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the 

 L^nited States Fish Commission at my command. To the direc- 

 tors of these two institutions my thanks are heartily tendered. 



From July 8 to August 14, 1903, and from June 28 to Au- 

 gust 12, 1904, the terns were under almost constant observa- 

 tion. Intensive studies were conducted at the Woepecket isl- 

 ands and on Muskeget island. The colonies on Penikese and 



