LEAST TERN 



74. Sterna antillarum. 9 in. 



Smallest of our terns. Adult 

 nape, and line through the 



in summer. Crown, 

 eye, black; forehead and 



line above the eye, white; bill and feet yellow, the for- 

 mer black at the tip. In winter, the crown is white, the 

 blackish being restricted to the nape and about the eyes. 

 These pretty little sea swallows were abundant both 

 on the coast and in the interior but are yearly becom- 

 ing more scarce especially on the Atlantic coast. They 

 are very aggressive when anyone approaches their nest- 

 ing grounds and will continually dash down at you as 

 they utter their sharp cries of disapproval. 



Notes. A sharp, metallic clattering " cheep, cheep." 



Nest. Two or three eggs are laid upon the bare sand. 

 They are buffy-gray, sharply specked with blackish (1.25 



x.95). 



Range. Breeds north to Mass.. the Great Lakes and 

 Calif.; winters south of the United States. 



