﻿Aruba, 
  Curacao, 
  and 
  Bonaire. 
  309 
  

  

  -•35. 
  Sterna 
  maxima, 
  Bodd. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  two 
  specimens 
  o£ 
  this 
  fine 
  Tern, 
  one 
  from 
  Aruba 
  

   and 
  one 
  from 
  Bonaire, 
  but 
  the 
  bills 
  and 
  wings 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   shorter 
  than 
  in 
  Sterna 
  maxima 
  proper, 
  and 
  the 
  comparative 
  

   measurements 
  of 
  the 
  bill 
  do 
  not 
  quite 
  correspond 
  with 
  those 
  

   given 
  by 
  Bidgway 
  in 
  his 
  ' 
  Manual/ 
  They 
  do 
  not, 
  however, 
  

   ])elong 
  to 
  the 
  Pacific 
  S. 
  elegans, 
  nor 
  to 
  Saunders's 
  Atlantic 
  

   S. 
  eurygnatha. 
  This 
  specialist 
  in 
  Laridse 
  has 
  seen 
  one 
  of 
  my 
  

   specimens 
  and 
  admitted 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  5^. 
  maxima, 
  but 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  

   a 
  larger 
  series 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  interest, 
  and 
  might 
  possibly 
  lead 
  

   to 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  South 
  West-Indian 
  subspecies 
  of 
  

   S. 
  maxima. 
  The 
  culmen 
  in 
  my 
  specimens 
  measures 
  3"25 
  to 
  

   2'36 
  inches, 
  wing 
  13"3 
  to 
  13"6, 
  tarsus 
  I'l, 
  Iris 
  brown, 
  

   bill 
  orange, 
  feet 
  black. 
  A 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  from 
  Georgia 
  

   are 
  similar 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  bill, 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  0'3 
  inch 
  

   longer, 
  and 
  the 
  wings 
  measure 
  14'5 
  inches. 
  

  

  This 
  Tern 
  is 
  not 
  common 
  on 
  these 
  islands 
  and 
  is 
  some- 
  

   what 
  shy, 
  but 
  I 
  saw 
  it 
  several 
  times 
  on 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  Aruba, 
  

   Curayao, 
  and 
  Bonaire. 
  

  

  -f 
  36. 
  Sterna 
  hirundo, 
  Linn. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  seen 
  this 
  Tern 
  flying 
  about 
  along 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  

   Aruba 
  and 
  on 
  Bonaire, 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  also 
  on 
  Cura5ao, 
  but 
  I 
  

   have 
  brought 
  home 
  only 
  two 
  skins. 
  These 
  agree 
  with 
  the 
  

   European 
  Sterna 
  hirundo 
  {= 
  Sterna 
  fluviatilis 
  of 
  Naumann) 
  

   in 
  appearance, 
  but 
  are 
  much 
  smaller 
  and 
  the 
  bill 
  somewhat 
  

   less 
  pointed. 
  In 
  fresh 
  specimens 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  

   abdomen 
  was 
  somewhat 
  less 
  greyish 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  violet 
  

   tint. 
  I 
  also 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  black 
  cap 
  does 
  not 
  reach 
  quite 
  

   so 
  low 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  neck. 
  As 
  my 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  skins 
  from 
  Heligoland, 
  England, 
  

   Morocco, 
  and 
  North 
  America, 
  which 
  are 
  larger, 
  and 
  as 
  I 
  

   have 
  seen 
  one 
  skin 
  from 
  Southern 
  Mexico 
  that 
  was 
  entirely 
  

   like 
  my 
  bird, 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  tropical 
  subspecies 
  ol 
  ihe 
  

   Common 
  Tern. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  remarkable 
  that 
  this 
  Tern 
  is 
  not 
  

   regularly 
  found 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Bahamas, 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  

   been 
  recorded 
  further 
  south 
  than 
  Jamaica. 
  My 
  specimens 
  

   measure: 
  — 
  Culmen 
  1'35 
  inch, 
  wing 
  lO'l, 
  tail 
  5*4, 
  tarsus 
  0'7. 
  

  

  