166 TERNS 



bird on the wing, and a reckless, dashing diver, frequently disappearing 

 beneath the surface in catching its prey. The slow-flying Pelicans are 

 at its mercy, and it sometimes deftly robs them of their well-earned 

 gains. 



67. Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida (Cabot}. CABOT'S TERN. Ads. in 

 spring. Whole top of head and crest black; back and wings light pearl- 

 gray; primaries silvery gray; the shaft part of the inner web white except at 

 the tip ; rest of the plumage white ; feet and bill black, the latter with a con- 

 spicuous yellowish tip. Ads. after breeding season and in winter. Similar, 

 but crown white, sometimes spotted with black; back of head and crest more 

 or less streaked with white. Im. Similar, but back spotted with blackish; 

 tail slaty gray and much shorter; bill slightly if at all tipped with yellow. 

 L., 16-00; W., 10-50; T., 5'50; B., 2'05. 



Range. N. and S. Am. Breeds from N. C. to Fla., Tex., and Mex.; 

 winters from the Bahamas, Fla., and La. to Cen. Am. (both coasts), the 

 Greater Antilles, Colombia, and Brazil; accidental in Ont., Mass., N. J., and 

 the Lesser Antilles. 



Eggs, 2-3, buffy white, spotted, speckled, and scrawled with distinct 

 and obscure chocolate markings, 2'05 x 1'40. Date, Tampa, Fla., Apr. 10; 

 coast of S. C., second week in June. 



Cabot's Tern was formerly abundant along the coasts of Florida, 

 but it now breeds only locally. There is a small breeding colony in 

 Pamlico Sound, North Carolina (Pearson), and in Bull's Bay, South 

 Carolina (Wayne) . The bird winters from the Florida Keys southward. 

 Its black, yellow-tipped bill is a good field mark. 



TRUDEAU'S TERN (68. Sterna trudeaui) is a South American species which 

 has been taken once on Long Island and once on the New Jersey coast. 



69. Sterna forsteri Nutt. FORSTER'S TERN. Ads. in summer. Whole 

 top of head black; back and wings pearl-gray; inner border of inner web of 

 outer primaries white, except at the tip; rump and entire underparts white; 

 tail light pearl-gray, the outer feather darker toward the end, where the 

 inner web is always darker than the outer; bill dull orange, the end third 

 blackish; feet orange. Ads. in winter. Similar to the above, but head white, 

 more or less washed with grayish or spotted with black, a large black spot 

 on the side of the head inclosing the eye; bill mostly black; feet brownish. 

 Im. Similar to the preceding, but the back and wings more or less mottled 

 or washed with light brownish, and the tail much shorter. L., IS'OO; W., 

 10-25; T., 7-00; Tar., '90; B., 1'50. 



Range. N. Am. Breeds on interior lakes of Calif., s. Ore., and Nev., 

 and from sw. Sask. and Man. s. to n. Colo., n. Nebr., ne. Ills., and s. Ont., 

 and on coasts of Tex., La., aed Va. ; winters from s. Calif., Gulf of Mex., and 

 S. C. to s. Guatemala; in migration occurs on the Atlantic coast, casually 

 as far n. as Mass. ; casual in Brazil. 



Washington, irregular T. V. Long Island, casual. Glen Ellyn, very 

 rare T.-V., May. SE. Minn., common T. V., uncommon S. R., Apl. 29- 

 Aug. 21. 



Nest, of seaweed, flags, or weeds on a slight elevation in grassy marshes. 

 Eggs, 3, very variable, olive-gray, or olive brownish ashy, more rarely 

 whitish or buff, heavily marked with chocolate, 1'80 x 1*30. Date, Corpus 

 Christi, Tex., Apr. 29; Cobb's Is., Va., June 1; Swan Lake, Minn., June 13. 



Forster's Tern, although so like the Common Tern in appearance, 

 differs materially from it in habits. It is not dependent on sandy 

 beaches for a nest-site, but is a marsh inhabitant, laying on a platform 



