AMERICAN ORNITHOLOG\. 153 



LEAST TERN. 



A. O. U. No. 74. (Sterna antillariim.) 



RANGE. 



The Least Tern may be found breeding in favorable localities from 

 California, Minnesota, and New England southwards. 

 DESCRIPTION. 



Length, 9 in.; extent, 20 in.; tail, 3.5 in., forked for about half of its 

 length. Eye, brown. Bill and feet, yellowish, the former tipped with 

 black. Back, wings and tail, pearl gray. Two outer primaries, black. 

 Top of head black, separated from a black line that extends from the 

 bill through the eye by a white crescent across the forehead and con- 

 tinuing up to the eye. Sides of head and under parts pure white. In 

 winter the bill is black and the black of the crown is broken up into a 

 few streaks. The mantle of the back is much darker than in summer. 

 NEST AND EGGS. 



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The Least Tern builds no nest whatever, and often even does not 

 take the few moments necessary to scoop a small hollow in the sand, 

 but will lay her eggs upon the beach among stones and pieces of shell. 

 The color of the eggs harmonizes remarkably well with that of the 

 sandy beach and it is very difficult to see them even at a short distance. 

 Their breeding range is now limited to the few localities where they 

 have not always been harassed to death, and islands along the Atlantic 

 coast where they formerly nested by hundreds are now desolate. 



The eggs most commonly have a buff ground color and are specked 

 evenly over the surface with black, brown and lilac markings. The 

 two or three eggs which they lay are deposited early in June. 



HABITS. 



Although this species is the smallest of the American Terns, it is 

 none the less dexterous upon the wing. Its much shorter and less 

 deeply forked tail, rather serve to detract from its grace of movement, 

 when compared to some of the larger varieties. 



While this diminutive member of the tern family can with equal fa- 

 cility perform all the intricate manouvers common to the terns, it seems 

 to lack the strength and power of endurance of many of its relatives 



