28 BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS 



42. Sterna antillarum (Less.). LEAST TERN. 



A not uncommon summer resident on the coast.* It breeds on 

 Martha's Vineyard, Muskeget Island, Cape Cod and formerly on 

 Penekese Island. 



Cohasset : " One instance." Essex County : " Summer visitant. Not 

 common." Ipswich: Formerly bred. Nantucket : "Fairly common." 



43. Rynchops nigra Linn. BLACK SKIMMER. 



A very rare and irregular summer visitant along the coast. 

 Mr. William Brewster was informed by a Nantucket fisherman 

 that it bred on Muskeget Island about 1830. The records 

 are: Cape Cod, " flocks," July, 1605 ; l Sandwich, three specimens 

 August 19, 1879 ; 2 Falmouth, Wood's Holl, a young bird taken 

 August 19, 1879, by John F. Carlton 8 and now in the collection 

 of the Boston Society of Natural History ; Boston Harbour, Pe- 

 tock's Island, one was taken August 20, i879- 2 In addition to 

 these, there is a second specimen in the collection of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History, labelled Falmouth. 



44. Xema sabinii (Sab.). SABINE'S GULL. 



Accidental from the far north. The records are : Boston Harbour, 

 an immature specimen was taken on September 27, 1874, by Mr. 

 H. W. Diamond. 4 This bird is now in the collection of Mr. 

 William Brewster. Cape Cod, an immature bird was taken in 

 1888 ; 5 near North Truro, a fine adult female was shot August 

 21, i 



45. Larus Philadelphia (Ord). BONAPARTE'S GULL. 

 A common spring and autumn migrant, and an uncommon win- 

 ter resident : occasional inland. 



May 10 to June 9 ; July 31 to November 25. Winter. 



* See references under Sterna hirnndo. 



1 Voyages of Samuel de Champlain ; 1604-1610, ed. 1878, Vol. II, p. 87 : See 

 Purdie; Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. VII, No. 2, Apr., 1882, p. 125. 



2 Deane; Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. IV, No. 4, Oct., 1879, p. 243. 



3 Brewer; Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. XX, May 7, 1879, P- 2 77 in foot- 

 note. 



4 Brewster; Amer. Sportsman, Vol. V, Mar. 13, 1875, P- 37- 



5 Editor; O. & O., Vol. XIV, No. 6, June, 1889, p. 95. 



6 Miller; Auk, Vol. VII, No. 3, July, 1890, p. 227. 



