302 LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS — LONGIPENNES. 



Generally this Tern is found in colonies by itself, Muskegat being the only in- 

 stance where I have seen it mingling with other species. In 1842 I there found this 

 species in company with the hirundo and the Dougalli. In 1869, when Mr. Allen 

 visited this island, the breeding-place of this species seemed to be apart from the 

 others. On the Island of Damariscotta, on the coast of Maine, and on a small island 

 near Bristol, I found this species breeding in distinct colonies, no other bird being in 

 the neighborhood. 



Richardson found this Tern breeding generally on the shores and islands of the 

 Arctic Ocean, and in great abundance. He describes its eggs as being obtuse at one 

 end and tapering at the other, varying in ground-color from a light yellowish brown 

 to a bluish gray, and marked with many irregular brown spots of different degrees 

 of intensity. They are said to be deposited upon a gravelly beach or upon sand ; and 

 the parents show great anxiety for their safety, and are very bold in their endeavors 

 to defend them. 



Mr. Hearne refers to this species as the "Black-head," and speaks of it as being 

 the smallest Gull met with by him. It is said to visit the coast of Hudson's Bay in 

 such vast numbers that it is frequently seen in flocks of several hundred ; and he has 

 known their eggs to be gathered by bushels on a very small island. These eggs are 

 very delicate eating, the yolks being equal to those of a young pullet, and the whites 

 of a semi-transparent azure ; but the bird itself has always a fishy taste, and is 

 unsuitable for food. The affection of this species for its young is so strong that 

 when any person attempts to rob its nest it will fly at him, and approach so near as 

 to touch his head with its pinions ; and will frequently follow the plunderer to a con- 

 siderable distance, with unusual screams and noisy outcries. This species was found 

 in the farthest northern localities visited by Hearne, and was observed to leave the 

 Arctic Regions early in the fall. 



Mr. Dall found this species abundant in the Shumagins, in certain localities, and 

 especially on a small island in Popioff Strait, called Range Island. There a large 

 number of the eggs, mostly in an incubated condition, were obtained in the months 

 of June and July. He did not notice any of these birds at Unalashka ; but he speaks 

 of them as being abundant on the marshes near the sea-coast and also everywhere on 

 the Yukon, where they were seen in large flocks hovering over the water, and often 

 appearing as if suspended in the air, the birds remaining in the same place, almost 

 motionless, for ten or fifteen minutes. At other times they were sitting on sticks 

 of driftwood, chattering to one another, or gathering around a shoal of young min- 

 nows, diving, eating, and screaming with equal vivacity. They are perfectly fearless, 

 especially when a companion has been wounded, or when their young are menaced. 

 They gather in large numbers around a wounded companion, cry to it, and endeavor 

 to assist it to rise. Their note, when not disturbed, is between a hiss and a whistle ; 

 when alarmed, it is a sharp cry, like the scream of a Gull ; and when at rest, they 

 keep up a kind of chatter. They are extremely inquisitive, and will follow a boat for 

 miles, keeping a short distance from it. The young were obtained in the down, June 

 22, near Fort Yukon, and had from the first coral-red legs and bills. The eggs were 

 found, June 14, at the mouth of the Yukon River. 



Mr. MacFarlane, Mr. Lockhart, and Mr. Kennicott found this species abundant in 

 all parts of the Arctic Regions, breeding in various situations on the ground, usually 

 in large companies, but occasionally in single pairs, some on the bare prairie, others 

 on the beach, or on islets in a lake, or in the sea. 



Some writers speak of the number of eggs in a nest as never more than two. Mr. 

 Dunn, writing of the Orkneys, speaks of it as three or four, and adds that this bird 



