I40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The Royal tern is a species of tropical and austral distribution, breed- 

 ing as far north as Cobb's Island, Va., and is an accidental summer visitant 

 on our coast. The only authentic specimen from this State was taken at 

 Raynor South, L. I., August 27, 1831, by J. F. Ward, and is now in the 

 American Museum, Lawrence Collection. Giraud describes it under the 

 name of Cayenne tern, but evidently confuses it with the Caspian tern 

 which he does not mention, for he gives the coast of Labrador as its breeding 

 range, following Audubon's misstatement, and says that Mr Bell received 

 a number of specimens from various sections of Long Island. DeKay 

 likewise confused it with the Caspian tern, his description of S. cayana 

 evidently referring to that species. 



Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida (Cabot) 

 Cabot Tern 



Sterna acuflavida Cabot. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. Proc. 1842. 2:257 



Sterna cantiaca DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 303, fig. 274 



Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 2. 1895. No. 67 



sandvicen' sis , of Sandwich, Kent; acufiav'ida, Lat., acus, point, and flavidus, 



yellowish 



Distinctive marks. Bill black, tipped with yellow. Like the Royal tern 

 in plumage and proportions, but only slightly larger than the common tern. 



Length 15-16 inches; extent 34; wing 12.5; tail 6; forked 2.35; bill 

 2.25; depth of bill .48; tarsus i. 



Cabot tern. Sterna sandvicensis acuil avid a (Cabot). From specimen in 

 State Museum. \ nat. size 



The Cabot, or Sandwich tern, is an inhabitant of the warmer seacoasts, 

 the American bird being almost identical with the Old World form. Our 

 bird breeds as far north as South Carolina, and has wandered up the coast- 



