NODDY TERN. 287 



American bird y but ranges southward to breed, Au- 

 dubon having met with it in one of the Tortugas. 

 He gives a very interesting account of the colony, 

 which was extremely numerous and very tame, ap- 

 parently unaccustomed to the inroads of plunderers. 

 Its manner of breeding is as much at variance with 

 that of the truly maritime terns as the last. The 

 nest of this species is placed on bushes or low trees 

 (nearly on the ground) which rarely grew taller 

 than the party, and therefore the interior of the 

 nest could be easily inspected ; it was constructed 

 of twigs and dry grass, and a series of old nests 

 often were raised into a considerable heap. "We 

 have received specimens from the island of Tobago, 

 and also from the China seas. Our description is 

 from Tobago skins. 



The colouring of the plumage is extremely simple, 

 being of a nearly uniform umber-brown, darker on 

 the wings and tail, except on the forehead and 

 crown, which are yellowish grey shading, above, 

 backwards into brown ; bill and legs black. The 

 feathers of the tail are broad, and make that member, 

 though forked, appear proportionally ample. 



Passing from these terns of less maritime habits, 

 and from those where the angle of the mandible 

 is- greater, we enter .into the typical form of the 

 famny, or the True Gulls, by means of a series of 

 smaller species, more inland in their habits, pos- 

 sessing a distinct dark colour, during the breed- 

 ing season upon the head, partially insectivorous, 



