H. LARIFORMIS : BLACK OR SHORT-TAILED TERN. 2>7S 



Parkman, Piscataquis Co., Me., some eighty miles from 

 the coast, Oct. 5, 1878" (Bull. Nutt. Club, v, 1880, 



p. 64). 



See also Dr. Brewer's Chatham, Mass., record (Pr, 

 Bost. Soc, xix, 1878, p. 308), and Vermont case (ibid., 

 XX, 1879, p. 276). 



BLACK OR SHORT-TAILED TERN. 



Hydrochelidon LARIFORMIS {L.) Coues. 



Chars. Adult in breeding plumage : head, neck, and under parts, 

 uniform jet-black ; back, wings and tail, plumbeous ; primaries 

 unstriped ; crissum pure white ; bill black. In winter, and young 

 birds, the black is mostly replaced by white on the forehead, sides 

 of head and under parts, the crown, occiput and neck behind, 

 with the sides under the wings, being dusky-gray ; a dark auric- 

 ular patch and another before the eye. In a very early stage, 

 the upper parts are varied with dull brown. Small : wing, 8.00- 

 9.00, little less than the whole length of the bird ; tail, 3.50, sim- 

 ply forked ; bill, 1.12 : tarsus, 0.67 ; middle toe and claw, 1.12. 



A rare but regular migrant in spring and fall. Dr. 

 Brewer (Bull. Nutt. Club, iii, 1878, p. 140) mentions the 

 capture, by George H. Mackay, of this bird at Nan- 

 tucket, Buzzard's Bay, August 8, 1877. The valuable 

 contribution of Mr. William Brewster states that he 

 observed "a large number of individuals" on this same 

 island, and in August, 1878, and on the i6th of the 

 same month, eight individuals were seen in the harbor 

 near the town, and several were shot and examined 

 (Bull. Nutt. Club, iii, 1878, p. 190). Mr. N. C. Brown 

 tells us that " two young examples of H. lariformis 

 were taken in Scarborough (Me.) the last autumn, and 



