THE BIRD BOOK 



71. ARCTIC TERN. 



Sterna paradisaea. 



Range. Northern Hemisphere, breeding from 

 New England northward to the Arctic Regions 

 and wintering south to California and the South 

 Atlantic States. A similar bird to the last, differ- 

 ing in having the bill wholly red and the feet be- 

 ing smaller and weak for the size of the bird. A 

 more northern bird than the last, breeding abund- 

 antly in Alaska, both on the coast and in the in- 

 terior. In the southern limits of its breeding 

 range, it nests in company with the Common 

 Tern, its nests and eggs being indistinguishable 

 from the latter. When their nesting grounds are 

 approached, all the birds arise like a great white 

 clour, uttering their harsh, discordant "tearrr, 

 tearrr," while now and then an individual, bolder 

 than the rest, will swoop close by with an angry 

 "crack." On the whole they are timid birds, keep- 

 ing well out of reach. The nesting season is 

 early in June. Eggs like the preceding. Data. 

 Little Duck Is., Me., June 29, 1896. Three eggs 

 in a slight hollow on the beach, three feet above 

 high water mark. 



72. ROSEATE TERN. Sterna dougalli. 



Range. Temperate North America on the east 

 coast, breeding from New England to the Gulf. 



These are the most beautiful birds, having a 

 delicate pink blush on the under parts during 



^ 



Arctic Tern 



Roseate Tern 

 Aleutian Tern 



Grayish or Brownish 



the breeding season; the tail is very long and deeply forked, the outer feath- 

 ers being over five inches longer than the middle ones; the bill is red with a 

 black tip. They nest in large colonies on the islands from Southern New Eng- 

 land southward, placing the nests in the short grass, generally without any 

 lining. They lay two or three eggs which are indistinguishable from the 

 two preceding species. 



73. ALEUTIAN TERN. Sterna aleutica. 



Range. Found in summer in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. 



South in winter to Japan. This handsome Tern is of the form and size 

 of the Common Tern, but has a darker mantle, and the forehead is white, 

 leaving a black line from the bill to the eye. They nest on islands off the coast 

 of Alaska, sometimes together with the Arctic Tern. The eggs are laid upon 

 the bare ground or moss, and are similar to the Arctic Terns, but average nar- 

 rower. They are two or three in number and are laid in June and July. Size 

 1.70 x 1.15. Data. Stuart Is., Alaska. Three eggs in a slight hollow in the moss. 



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