LARID.E— THE GULLS AND TERNS. 241 



[6. 8. paradisaea. Lower parts deeper gray, almost as dark as upper parts; otherwise 

 like N. luruuilo, but lateral tail-feathors more elongated, flab. Cireurapolar 

 districts, south in winter, in America, to northern United States (breeding as far 

 south as coast of New England).] 

 S§. Both webs of outer tail-feather entirely white, or grayish white. 

 [7. S. dougalli. Lower parts delicate "peach-blossom pink" fading to pinkish white or 

 pure white in dried skins. Uab. Atlantic coast of United States, West Indies, 

 and various parts ot old world.] 

 h. Upper parts slate-gray or sooty blackish, the forehead and sides of crown white: 

 six to tOB middle tail-feathers slaty or 'blackish. (Subgenus //atoMna Wagl.I 

 [8. S. fuliginosa. Upper parts sooty black. Huh. Tropical and sub-tropical coasts of 

 bo h liemi-phercs, north to the South Atlantic (casually to New England/ States.] 

 [9. S. ansethetus. Upper parts slate-gray, fading into white on hind-neck. llah. 

 Tropical sea-coasts, north to Florida.] 

 , Wing less thin 7.00 inches. (Subgenus Starmtte BoiE.) 

 10. S. antillarum. 



Subgenus THALASSEUS Boie. 



Thalassens BoiE, Isis. 1822.563. Type. Sterna caspia Pall.,=5. tschegrava Lepech. 

 Sytochelidon Bbehm, Vog. Deutschl. 1830,7(J7. Same type. 



SuBOEN. Char. Largest and most powerful of the Terns. Tail mueh less than half as 

 long as the wing, forked for less than one fifth of its total length; feathers of occiput nor- 

 mal (short and blended, not forming a crest); dei)th of bill at base equal to nearly one third 

 the exposed culmen; inner webs of primaries unicolored (plain gray or slaty). 



Sterna tschegiava Lopechin. 



CASPIAN TERN. 

 Popular synomym, Gannet (coast Virginia). 

 Sterna tschegrnra Lepech. Nov. Comm. Petroii. xiv, 1770, 500. jil. 13, fig. 2.— A. 0. U. Check 



List, 1888, No. 61.— KiDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 39. 

 Sterna caspia Pall. Nov. Comm. Petrop. xiv, 17"»,582.— Gmel. S. N. i, pt. li,178S,603.— Lawb. 

 Id Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 859.— Baibd. Cat. N. Am. B. 185S. No. 682.— CouES, Key, 1872, 

 319; Check List, No. 591 ; 2d ed. 1S82, No. 79S.— KiDGW. Nom. N. Am, B. 1881, No. 680.- 

 B. B. & P.. Water B. N. Am. il, l^SI, 230. 

 Thalasseus caspius BoiE. Isis, 182a, 563.— CouEB, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sol. Phila. 1862, 537. 



—Elliot, lUustr. Am. B. pi. .56. 

 Sterna lThata»seus) canpia CouES, B. N. W. Wi, 667. 

 Sterna casiiica Spabbm. Mus. Carls, iii, 1788, pi. 62. 

 Sterna megarhunchos Meveu, Taseh. Deutsch. Vog. ii, 1810, 467. 

 Sytochelidon strennus Gould, V. Z. S. 1816,21: B. Austr. vii, 18i8. pi. 22 (Australia). 

 Thalassites melanotis Sw. B. W. Afr. 1837.2.53 (type In Cambridge Mus.; examined by H. 8.). 

 Sulochelidon balthica et scliilUntiii Bbehm, Vog. Deutschl. 1831, 769, 770. 

 Slertm major Ellman, Zool. IS61. 7472. 

 Thalasseus imperator CouES, Proc. Acad. Nat. Scl. Phila. 1862, .538 (text; Labrador). 



Sterna caajiia. var. imperator KiDow. Ann. Lye. N. Y. x, 1871, 391. 

 Sterna regia (noc Oaub.) Ridow. Oi n. 40th Par. 1877, 639 iHuraboldt Lake, Nevada), 



Hab. Patoarctic Region. North America In general, but very Irroeularly distributed: 

 breeding in Labrador, along the Arctic coast, on islands : j Lake Michigan and along coast 

 of Virginia and Texas! Humboldt Marshes, Nevada, numerous; ooast of California: Aus- 

 tralia. 



-31 



