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302 



LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS — LONGIPENNES. 



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Generally this Tern is found in colonies by itself, Muskegat being the only in- 

 stance where I have seen it mingling witli other si)ecies. In 1842 I there found tiiis 

 species in company with tlie hi'rando and the iJoufjaUL In 1869, when Mr. Allen 

 visited this island, the breeding-place of this species seemed to be a])art from tlic 

 others. On the Island of Damariscotta, on the coast of Maine, and on a small island 

 near Bristol, I found this species breeding in distinct colonies, no other bird being in 

 tlie neighborhood. 



Eichardson found this Tern breeding generally on the shores and islands of the 

 Arctic Ocean, and in great abundance. He describes its eggs as being obtuse at one, 

 end and tapering at the otlier, varying in ground-color from a light yellowisli brown 

 to a bluish gray, and marked with many irregular brown spots of different degrees 

 of intensity. They are said to be deposited upon a gravelly beach or upon sand; and 

 the parents show great anxiety for their safety, and are very bold in their endeavors 

 to defend them. 



Mr. Hearne refers to this specdes as the " Black-head," and speaks of it as b>-ing 

 the smallest Gull nu't with by him. It is said to visit the coast of Hudson's Bay in 

 such vast numbers tliat it is frecpu'ntly seen in flocks of several hundred ; and he has 

 known their eggs to be gatliered by bushels on a very small island. These eggs are 

 very delicate eating, the yolks being e(pial to those of a young pullet, and the whites 

 of a semi-transparent azure ; but the bird itself has always a lishy taste, and is 

 inisuitable for food. The aft'eetion of this species for its young is so strong tliat 

 when any person attemi)ts to rob its nest it will fly at him, and api)roach so near as 

 to touch his head with its pinions ; and will frecpiently follow tlie plunderer to a con- 

 siderable distance, with unusual screams and noisy outcries. This species was found 

 in the farthest northern localities visited by Hearne, and was observed to leave the 

 Arctic Kegions early in the fall. 



Mr. Dall found this species abundant in the Shnmagins, in certain localities, and 

 especially on a small island in I'opotf Strait, called Bange Island. There a lait,'o 

 number of the eggs, mostly in an incubated condition, were obtained in the moutlis 

 of June and July. He did not notice any of these birds at Unalashka ; but he speaks 

 of them as being abundant on the marshes near the sea-coast aiul also everywhere on 

 the Yukon, where they were seen in large flocks liovering over the water, and often 

 appearing as if suspended in the air, the birds remaining in the same place, almost 

 motionless, for ten or fifteen minutes. At other times they were sitting on sti<'ks 

 of driftwood, chattering to one another, or gathering around a shoal of young min- 

 nows, diving, eating, and screaming with equal vivacity. They are perfectly fearless, 

 especially when a companion has been wounded, or when their young are menacu'd. 

 They gather in large luunbers around a wounded companion, cry to it, and endeavor 

 to assist it to rise. Their note, when not disturbed, is between a hiss and a wliistle ; 

 when alarmed, it is a sharp cry, like the scream of a Gull ; and when at rest, tliev 

 keep up a kind of chatter. They are extremely inquisitive, and will follow a boat loi' 

 miles, keeping a short distance from it. Tlie young were obtained in the down, .June 

 22, near Fort Yukon, and had from the first coral-red legs and bills. The eggs weiv 

 found, June 14, at the mouth of the Yukon Biver. 



Mr. MacFarlane, Mr. Lockhart, and Mr. Kennicott found this species abundant in 

 all parts of the Arctic Begious, breeding in various situations on the ground, usually 

 in large companies, but occasionally in single pairs, some on the bare prairie, otiiers 

 on the beach, or on islets in a lake, or in the sea. 



Some writers speak of the number of eggs in a nest as never more than two. Mi. 

 Dunn, writing of the Orkneys, speaks of it as three or four, and adds that this bird 



