144 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Dou^&lli 

 First primaxies of terns 



Distinctive marks. This tern resembles the Arctic aiid Forster tems 



but may be distinguished from the former by the color of its bill, which is 



black at the tip for one third of its length, its tarsi are longer, its primaries 



have less white, and the white 

 rTv^^'%^--;-^ ,__ line of feathers along the base 



of the upper mandible scarcely 

 extends to the feathered point. 

 It is distinguished from Forster 

 tern by the color of its streamers, 

 which are wliite on their inner 

 webs and gray on the outer, while 

 the reverse is the case in Forster. 

 The adult specimens of the Com- 

 mon tern also have pearl-gray 

 underparts in summer, instead 

 of white, and their feet and legs 

 are redder. 

 Distribution. The Common tern, Wilson tern, or Sea swallow is an 



abmnlant transient visitant along the shores of Long Island, and is still 



a common summer resident in the protected colonies, especially on the 



north and south ends of Gardiners 



island, and on Fishers island, where 



wardens are maintained b_\' the 



Audubon Societies and the A. O. U. 



It fomierly bred along the shores 



of Long Island in great numbers, 



and as late as 1882 Mr Dutcher 



found it nesting at South Oyster 



BaA' in considerable numbers ; in 



1883 it was becoming scarce, and 



in 1884 very few were left at that station. In 1885 they bred all over Little 



Gull island, in 1888 only 300 ])airs were left, and now they have deserted 



that station entirely on account of the disturbance caused by the neigh - 



Dougalli 

 Outer tail feathers of tems 



