814 STERNA 



on the Pacific coast, ranging south in winter to Florida on the 

 east and Mexico on the west side. 



Frequents the sea coasts, seldom inland waters. It feeds 

 chiefly on fish, but is said also to sometimes devour young 

 birds of the smaller Terns. Its note is a loud, deep, harsh 

 craaJc, craa. It breeds either in pairs or in communities, placing 

 its eggs on the ground ; these, 2 to 3 in number, are usually 

 deposited late in May or early in June, and vary in ground- 

 colour from stone-grey to stone-buff with a greenish tinge, and 

 are marked with purplish grey shell blotches, and blackish- 

 brown surface spots, blotches, and blotchy lines. In size they 

 measure about 245 by T75. 



1120. ROYAL TERN. 

 STERNA MAXIMA. 



Sterna maxima, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 58, No. 988 (1783) ; Dresser, ix, 

 p. 383, pi. 716 ; Saunders, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxv. p. 80 ; Kidgway, 

 p. 40; 8. cayennensis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 604 (1788) ; Audub. 

 B. Amer. pi. 273 ; S. regia, Gambel. Pr. Phil. Acad. iv. p. 228 

 (1848). 



( ad. (S. Carolina). Crown and nape black, the nuchal feathers 

 elongated and pointed ; neck, edge of wing from carpus, tail, and under 

 parts white ; mantle pearl-grey, the rump paler grey ; outer webs of 

 primaries dark grey, a broad line near the shaft, and ends of inner webs 

 blackish grey ; bill orange-red ; legs black ; iris brown. Calmen 2 '8, wing 

 14*3, tail 6'2, outer feathers extending 2*0 beyond the middle ones, tarsus T35 

 inch. In winter the forehead and fore crown are white mottled with black, 

 and a small space at the base of the bill dull grey ; bill paler orange. 



Hob. America, on the east side from Long Island to Southern 

 Brazil, possibly to Parana, on the west side from California to 

 Peru ; West Coast of Africa from the Straits of Gibraltar to 

 Angola. 



In general habits it resembles S. caspia, but is said to swim 

 very rarely. It breeds near the sea, usually in sandy places, 

 laying 2 eggs, which are buffy white or pale yellowish, some- 

 what sparsely spotted with purplish grey and dark umber, and 

 measure about 2'59 by 1*71. 



1121. GULL-BILLED TERN. 

 STERNA ANGLICA. 



Sterna anglica, Montag. Orn. Diet. Suppl. fig. (1813); Naum. x, 

 p. 38, Taf. 249 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 476, pi. cxxxi. fig. 1 ; Gould, 

 B. of E. v. pi. 416 ; (id.), B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 74 ; Dresser, 



