ONI' \KI(). 



bay opposite Dynes' place. In the fall they pay a similar visit, 

 but at this season they are less attractive in appearance, the bill 

 having lost much of its brilliancy, and the plumage being com- 

 paratively dull. 



21. STERNA SANDVICENSIS ACUFLAVIDA (Cabot.). 67. 



Cabot's Tern. 



Bill rather longer than the head, slender, black, with the tip yellow, 

 mouth inside, deep blue ; feet, black ; wings longer than the tail, which is 

 deeply forked ; upper part of the head and hind neck, bluish-black ; sides of 

 the head, neck all round, and rest of the lower parts, white ; the sides and 

 breast tinged with pink ; fore part of the back, scapulars and upper surface 

 of the wings pale bluish-gray, the tips and greater part of the inner web of 

 the scapulars and quills, white, as are the rump and tail ; the four outer quills 

 blackish, but covered with light gray down on the outer webs, and over a con- 

 siderable portion of the inner, their shafts white. Length, 15-16 ; wing, 12-50. 



Eggs, two to three, dropped on the dry sand, rather pointed, yellowish 

 drab, spotted with dark and reddish brown. 



The usual habitat of this species is so far to the south of us 

 that I would hesitate to include it in this list, but for the conclu- 

 sive evidence we have of its being taken within our limits. 



In the spring of 1882, Dr. Garnier noticed three terns of this 

 species coursing around a mill-pond not far from his residence 

 at Lucknow. The Dr. attended to them at once, the result was 

 that one went clear off toward Lake Huron, another wriggled 

 with difficulty after it, and the third fell dead on the pond. I 

 afterward saw this specimen mounted, and satisfied myself of its 

 identity. It is difficult to account for birds wandering away at 

 times beyond their usual limit, yet we might with as much truth 

 say that it is difficult to account for birds so regularly keeping 

 within certain limits, but when those of this class find themselves 

 farther from home than they intended, it does not cost them 

 much labour to correct the mistake. 



Subgenus STERNA. 



22. STERNA FORSTERI Nutt. 69. 



Forster's Tern. 



Like the next ; larger, tail longer than wings. Wing of adult, 9iV-io§ ; 

 tail, 6J-8, thus often beyond the extreme of hirundo, and nearly as in 



41 



