LAlilDiE — THE GULLS AND TERNS — STERNA. 



281 



American references. 



Sterna caspia, Lawr. in Raiiil's R. N. Am. 1858, 8.5!). — nAiiti), Cat. N. Am. B. 1858, no. 682.— 

 CouEs, Key, 1872, 310 ; Clu'ck List, no. 5(51 ; 2(1 ed. 1882, no. 7&3. — KiDow. Noni. N. Am. 15. 

 1881, no. 680. 



Thalamus caspius, CoUEs, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1862, 537 (part). — ^]Ll.IOT, iUiistr. Am. B. 

 1)1. 56. 



Sterna {Thalaascus) easjiia, Coues, B. N. W. 1874, 667 (part). 



TliaJnsscHs imperator, CouE.s, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1862, 538 (in text; Labrador). 



Sterna caspia, var. imperator, Riuow. Ann. Lye. N. Y. X. 1874, 391. 



Mad. PiiliCiirctic Region. North America in general, but very irregularly distributed ; brced- 

 iii!,' in Labrador, along the Arctic coa.><t, on islands in Lake Michigan and along coa.st of Virginia 

 and Tu.xas ! ? Humboldt Mar.shes, Nevada, numerous ; coa.st of California. 



8i'. Char. Largest of the Terns (wing not less than 15.0(> inches). Bill very robust, reddish ; 

 tail short and but slightly forked; inner webs of iirimaries wholly dark slaty. Adult, in summer : 

 Entire pileum, including occipital crest and ujjper half of lores, deep black, the lower eyelid with 

 a white crescentic spot, tapper parts very pale i)earl-gray, fading insensibly to white on the upper 

 tail-coverts, the tail bluish wlme ; outer surface of the primarie.s light hoary ash, their inner weba 

 iiiiilonu slate or dark hoary gray. Rest of the plumage snow-white, liill deep coral-red, with a 



dusky suffusion sul)terminally, the tip orange or yellowish ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet deep 

 black. Adult, in winter : Similar, but the black of the head streaked with white. Young, first 

 linimge : Similar to the adult, but with the foUowing differences : Pileum (including occiput and 

 iilHn'r two thirds of lores) grayish white, thickly streaked with dull black ; side of head with a 

 uiiil'onu dull black bar, beginning before and b(!neath the eye and extending back over upper por- 

 tiiiu of auriculars ; lower portion of lores and auriculars grayish white, mottled with darker gray- 

 ish. Mantle pale pearl-gray, sparsely marked with irregular spots, mostly inclining to crescentic 

 iir V-sliaped form, of brownish dusky, the wing-coverts, however, nearly immaculate ; the markings 

 largest on longer scapulars and terminal portion of tertials ; primaries hoary gray, with white 

 slial'ts, the shorter ones margined with Avhite ; rump and upper tail-coverts immaculate pearly 

 white ; rectrices hoary gray, distinctly sjiotted with blackish toward tip.s. Rest of plumage plain 

 white. Rill dull orange (in dried akin), dusky subterminally ; feet lirownish (in skin). (No. 93033, 

 9 , Warsaw, 111., Sept. 21, 1883 ; riiARi.ES K. Worthen.) Dou-nij young: Above, grayish white, the 

 down of the head dusky grayish at the ba.se ; Irnck and rump finely and indi.stinctly mottled with 

 VOL. n. — 30 





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