LARID.E— THE GULLS AND TERNS. 243 



Subgenus ACTOCHELIDON Kaup. 



AclocheUdon Kaup. 8k. Eat. Eur. Thierw. 1829, 31. Type, Sterna caniiaca Gmel.,= 

 S. aanaricensis Gmel. 



BcBOEK. Char. Next to Thalasseus the largest of the Terns. Tail more than hall as 

 long as the wing.forked for at least halt its length; featlierH of oeeiput lengthened, pointed, 

 lorming a distinct crest: depth of bi 1 at base much less than one third the length of ex- 

 posed culmen; inner webs of primaries bicolored (dusky or slaty next to shaft, white along 



Sterna maxima Bodd. 



EOYAL TERN. 



Popular synonyms. Gannet, or Gannet Striker, (Coast of Virginia); Redshanks (Florida*); 



Gaviota (Mexico). 

 La Grande Hirondelle de Mer.de Cayenne Buff. Ois. viii, 316. 

 HirondeVe de iter, de Cauenne, Buff. PI. Enl. 988. 

 Sterna maxima Bodd. Tabl. P. E. 17*?, 58 (ex PI. Enl. 9S8).— Sol. & Salt. P. Z. S. 1871, 



567 (critical).— Saunders, P. Z. 8. 1878, C.W (do.).— CoUES, 2d Check List. 1882, No. 791.— 



B. B. &. R. Water B. N. Am. ii, 1881. 281.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 65.-BlDow. 



Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 40. 

 Sterna cai/enuensiii Gmel. 8. N. i, pt. ii, 1788,604. 

 Sterna caiiana Lath. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 801, No. 2— Nutt. Man. ii, 1831, 268.— AuD. Orn. 



Blog. ill, 1833, 505; v, 18.39, 639. pi. 273; Synop. 1839, 316: B. Am. vii, 1844, 76, pi. 429. 

 Sterna oalericulata Light. Verz. Doubl. 1823, 81 (typ ; in Berlin Mus.: determined by 



H. 8). 

 Sterna erythrorhynchm WiED. Bcitr. iv, 1833, 857. 



Sterna cristata Swains. B. W. Afr. ii, 1837, 247. pi. 30 (typo in Cambridge Mus.; ex- 

 amined by H. 8.). 

 Sterna regia Oamb. Proc. Acad. Nat. 8cl. Phlla. 1818, 22S.— Lawb. in Baird's B. N. Am. 



1858, 8.J9.—BAIRD. Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 683.-CouE8, Key, 1872, 319; Check List, 



1873, No. 562.— RiDOW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 681. 

 Thalasseus regius Gamb. .lourn. A".ad. Nat. Sol. Phila. i,2d ser. ISW.'BS.- CouKS.Proo. 



Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1362, .539 (critical). 

 Sterna {Thalasseus) regia CouES, B. N. W. 1874, 669. 

 "Sterna hergii" Ibby, Orn. Str. Gibr. 1875. 209 (specimen examined by H. 8.). Not S. 



bergii. Light. 1823. 



Hab. Tropical and warm-temperate parts of America, north to Long Island, Hassa- 

 chusott^; Great Lakes, Utah {'!\ Nevada (?), and coist of California; Kouth to Brazil and 

 Peru. West coast of Africa, north to Tangiors (Daloleish, "Auk," January, 1884, p. 97). 



8p. Char. Nearly as large as S. tschegrava. Bill deep orange-red or orange. Tall 

 quite deeply forked. Adult, in sitring: Entire piloum, including occipital crest and upper 

 half of the lores, deep black. Upper parts pale pearl-gray labout as in .S. t.irliegrava), be- 

 coming white on the rump and upper tail-coverts. Tail grayish white, tinged with pearl- 

 gray. Outer webs of primaries pale silvery gray, the outer quill darker; inner webs slaty 

 In a broad 'stripe next thi: shaft, the Inner portion abruptly white, the dusky extending an- 

 teriorly near the inner edge of the web, except on the outer quill. Bill deep orange-rod; 

 lrl8 dark brown; logs and foot deep black. Adult, in summer: Similar, but the foreljead, 

 lores, and fore part of crown white. Bill uniform dei'p orange-chrome, paler at tip; edges 

 of eyelids black: iris dark brown: logs and feet deep black. Adult, in winter: "Young of 



'Fide W. E. D. Scott. In The Auk, Oct., 1890. p. 3»6. (But why?) 



