504 LARIDJE. 



to the Floridas, where it breeds in great numbers ; but is 

 never observed in any other part of the coast of America. 

 Considered to be migratory. 



The adult bird in summer has the bill black, the tip 

 yellowish-white ; the irides hazel ; all the parts of the head 

 above the eyes black ; the JFeathers on the occiput elongated, 

 forming a loose plume which ends in a point; cheeks, 

 sides, and bottom of the neck behind, white ; back and 

 wings ash grey, the ends of the tertials almost white ; the 

 longest primary slate grey, with a strong and broad white 

 shaft, the next two or three primaries each a little lighter 

 in colour than the first, and diminishing in colour in suc- 

 cession till they become of the same tint as the wing-co- 

 verts ; the tail white and forked ; chin, throat, neck in 

 front, breast, and all the under surface of the body pure 

 white ; legs, toes, and their membranes black, claws 

 curved and black. The whole length of the bird, from the 

 point of the beak to the end of the longest tail-feather, 

 is fifteen inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the 

 longest quill-feather eleven inches ; the first quill-feather 

 the longest in the wing. 



A young bird of the year killed on the 10th of August 

 is about ten inches in length ; the upper mandible dark 

 brown, the under one pale brown at the base ; forehead 

 greyish-white, top of the head and the occiput black ; back 

 and smaller wing-coverts ash grey, varied with pale brown ; 

 greater coverts ash grey, quill-feathers bluish-grey, the 

 inner margins white, the outside quill-feather almost black, 

 except the shaft which is white ; tail-feathers varied with 

 ash grey and brown ; legs, toes, and membranes dark brown. 



The young bird figured in the illustration has the head 

 mottled with black and white ; the back, wing-coverts and 

 tail-feathers varied with angular lines of black ; in this state 

 as to plumage it is the Striated Tern of some authors. 



