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194 



LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS — LONGIPENNES. 



II duller black, nnd the bill ami feet less richly colored than in the adult. A specimen from 

 Matanioras (No. 41G7), evidently a young bird, in much worn and a]H)arently fatled plumaj,'!-, 

 liaa the black repLiccd by brownish gray (this very pale on the head above), while all the wiiij,'- 

 covert.s are conspicuously tipped witli white. 



The females are uniformly much smaller than the males, but exactly the same in colors, the 

 fresh tints of the bill and feet being eipially bright. 



This unique and very peculiar sijecies, variously known as the " llazor-bill," the 

 "Cut-water," the "Shearwater," and the "Black Skimmer," is found on our Atlantic 

 coast from Long Island to Southern Brazil, and also on the I'acific coast ; but to what 

 extent I am not able to state. Dr. Burmeister speaks of it as being common on tlic 

 Rio Varana, especially among the lagoons near the river, where this singular bird, in 

 the manner so well described by Azara, fishes for its prej-, making long furrows 

 through the water — a peculiarity which causes it to be generally known by the name 

 of El lid i/<iilor. Mr. Xantus procured this species on the Zacatula lliver, in Western 

 Mexico ; and Colonel (Jrayson noticed it during the summer months near San Bias. 

 He speaks of it as not being abundant, and as partly nocturnal in its habits. 



Mr. C. B. Brown met with it in the rivers of British Guiana, especially on the 

 Essecpiibo, Avhere, as he states, the " Scissor-billed Gulls," or "Sea-dogs," were fre- 

 quently seen flying swiftly along in small parties, with their long sharj) flat beaks 

 dipping in the Avater. Their cries resembled somewhat the barking of a dog; hence 

 they have received the name of Sea-dogs. 



According to the observations of Mr. Giraud, this is one of the regular visitants of 

 Long Island — where, however it is not very common. At Egg Harbor, on the coast 

 of New Jersey, it is much mori! abundant, and has been known to breed there. 



Birds of this species associate in small ])arties, and pass most of their time on the 

 wing — flying very low at a short distance from the shore. Giraud has never known 

 them to alight on the water ; but they may usually be seen skimming over its surface, 

 ploughing it with their long bills, seemingly in pursuit of small fish, on which they 

 feed. They are never known to dive, and they apparently only take their prey when 

 this comes to the surface of the water. 



The voice of this Gull is a harsh scream, somewhat resembling the cry of the Tern, 

 but is stronger. When fishing this bird flies steadily and slowly, flapping its long 

 wings. At other times its flight is exceedingly swift. It is not known to breed on 

 Long Island, where it is rarely seen except at midsummer. 



Its nest is a mere hollow formed in the sand, without the addition of any mate- 

 rials. The fenude lays three eggs, almost exactly oval, of a dirty white, marked with 

 large spots of brownish black intermixed with others of a pale India-ink. These 

 measure 1.75 inches in length by 1.25 in breadth. It is said that half a bushel and 

 more of these eggs have sometinu>s been collected from one sandbar within the com- 

 pass of half an acre. (Jiraud states that he found them to have something of a fishy 

 taste ; yet they are eaten by many peojde on the coast. The female sits on them 

 only during the night, or in wet and stormy weather. The young remain unable to 

 fly for several weeks after they are hatched; and during this time they are fed by 

 both parents with remarkable assiduity — seeming to delight in lying with liall- 

 opened wings flat on the sand, as if enjoying its invigorating warmth. This bird 

 breeds but once in a season, and is nii ; h later in depositing its eggs than are other 

 water birds. In my visit to Cajjc Charles, in June, 1852, while these birds were 

 present in considerable numbers, they showed no signs of breeding, although their 

 companions of various kinds had all full complements of eggs. 



Mr. N. B. Moore, living near Sarasota Bay, Fla., writes me that he has seen small 



