58 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



washed with light brownish; distinct bar of dusky across wing at lesser 

 coverts; bill dark brown or blackish, slightly red only at base. Downy 

 young : grayish buff, mixed with dusky above, below white, more or less buff 

 tinged. Wing 10.00 to 12.00 ; culmen 1.35 ; tarsus 0.66 to 0.88. 



Geog. Dist. — Greater part of northern hemisphere and Africa; breeds 

 locally both on the coast and in the interior of North America from Florida, 

 Texas and Arizona north to the Arctic coast ; winters from Virginia south- 

 ward. 



County Records, — Androscoggin; rare migrant, (Johnson). Cumberland; 

 about 1,000 pair breed at Bluff Island, Casco Bay, Norton, Auk 1904, p. 163). 

 Franklin; migrant, (Richards). Hancock; common local summer resident, 

 breeding on many suitable islands of the coast, (Knight). Knox ; common 

 in 1899 at the Fox Islands, (Howe, J. M. O. S. 1900, p. 28). Lincoln; still 

 quite common and breeding in 1895, (Norton). Oxford; very rare, (Nash). 

 Penobscot ; local about some of the larger lakes in the spring, (Knight). 

 Sagadahoc; breeds, (Spinney). Waldo; common spring to fall in Penob- 

 scot Bay, (Knight). Washington ; abundant, (Boardman). York ; (Butters). 



The first individuals arrive from the south in May, usually 

 about the middle to the last of the month, and remain excep- 

 tionally until the very last of September, but the bulk have 

 gone by the middle of the month. They nest in colonies of 

 several dozen to many hundred pair on suitable grassy islands 

 along the coast, being associated with the Arctic Terns at 

 many of their breeding grounds. The habits of the two species, 

 the size and color of the eggs, localities selected, etc., are so 

 very nearly identical that one thorough description of their 

 habits will do very well indeed for both species. Their favorite 

 breeding grounds on the Maine coast are at Metinic Green 

 Islands, Machias Seal Island, Bluff Island and Matinicus Rock 

 at each of which places the number of breeding birds is prob- 

 ably well up in the thousands. Other minor breeding places 

 are Two Bush, Saddleback Ledge, Halibut Ledge, Ship, Barge, 

 Trumpet, and Green Islands in Penobscot Bay in which places 

 several dozen pair usually congregate on each. At the 

 approach of visitors the Terns may be observed sitting quietly 

 on the islands, either on their nests or perched on the rocks 

 along the shore, or leisurely flying over the water engaged in 

 feeding. They fly with head turned so the bill slopes downward. 



