84 TERNS. 



the background. Its white breast and long outer tail-feathers also aid 

 in distinguishing it. 



74. Sterna antillarum (Less.). Least Tekn, Ad. in summer. — 

 Forehead white, lores and crown black ; back, tail, and wings pearl-gray ;' 

 outer web of outer primaries and shaft part of tlie inner web slaty black ; 

 under parts white; bill yellow, generally tipped with black; feet orange. 

 Ad. in winter. — Top of head white, more or less spotted with black ; back of 

 head black ; bill blackish. Im. — Upper parts and tail at the end mottled 

 with blackish and buff'y, primaries as in the adult, under parts white, bill 

 blackish. L., 9-00 ; W., 6-90 ; T., 3-50 ; B., 1-10. 



Range. — Northern South America northward to California, Dakota, and 

 Massachusetts, rarely to Labrador; breeds locally throughout its range, and 

 wintefs south of the United States. 



Washington, casual T. V. Long Island, rare in summer. 



Eggs., three to four, bufty Avhite, speckled or spotted with chocolate, 

 1-25 X -90. 



This, the smallest of our Terns, resembles its congeners in habits, 

 though it is said to add insects to its usual fare of fish. Its voice is 

 described as " a sharp squeak, much like the cry of a very young pig 

 following its mother." 



T5. Sterna fiili^inosa Gmel. Sooty Tern. Ad. — Forehead and a 

 line reaching to the eye white, lores and rest of the head black ; nape, back, 

 and wings brownish black, nearly as dark as the head ; outer tail-feathers 

 Avhite, brownish on the end half of the inner web ; rest of tail-feathers of the 

 same color as the back ; under parts white ; bill and feet black, ///i., first 

 flumage. — Sooty slate-color; linings of the wings and under tail-coverts 

 Avhitish ; wing-coverts, scapulars, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers more or 

 less tipped with white. L., 17-00 : W., 11-50 ; T., 7-25 ; B., 1-75. 



Bange. — Tropical and subtropical regions ; in North America breeds rarely 

 as far north as North Carolina ; occasionally wanders northward to Maine ; 

 winters south of the United States. 



Long Island, A. Y. in summer. 



Eggs, one to three, whitish or buff", speckled or spotted with chocolate, 

 2-00 X 1-45. 



A regular summer visitant to our southern coasts and occasionally 

 Avandering northward. It breeds in colonies in little-frequented islands 

 in the West Indies, and may be seen fishing in flocks, which hover 

 low over the water. 



' The Bridled Tern (76. Sterna anwiJietris), a tropical species, has been 

 taken once in Florida, but may prove to be a regular summer visitant to some 

 of the Florida keys. 



77. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis(6^»2'e?.). Black Tern. 



Ad. in summer.— '\\\\o\(i head and under parts, except under tail-coverts, 

 black ; back, wings, and tail slate-color ; bill and feet black. Ad. in winter. 



