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310 



LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS — LONGIPENNES. 



adult. Bill dusky, brownish toward tlio base; feet brownish. Dotcny ynntuj : Alwve, grayisli 

 wiiite, finely mottled with dusky grayish, tlie head distinctly marked with irrt';,'ular dots of dusky 

 black ; lower parts entirely immaculate white. Bill dull yellow, tipped with dusky ; legs and 

 feet clear pale yellow. 



Tot4d length, ubout 9.W inches ; extent, 20.00 ; wing, fi.OO ; tail, 3.50, its fork, 1.75 ; culnien, 

 1.20 ; depth of bill at Iw-se, .28 ; tarsus, .60 ; middle toe, with claw, .72. 



This little Tern has several near allies in difterent parts of the world. The differential charac- 

 ters of the American species and tlieir European representative are as follows ; — 



A« Lower parts white. 



a. Rump and tail white I, S. minuta.^ 



■ b. Rump and tail pearl-gray. 



6'. Bill more or less black tipped. Wing less than 7.00 inches. Feet 



bright yellow 2. 5. antillarum. 



b". Bill without black tip. Wing 7.00 inches or longer. Feet oliva- 

 ceous yellow. Upper i)arts darker gray. Bill larger and much 



stouter, and lateral rectrices more elongated 3. iS. superciliaiis.^ 



B« Lower parts gray 4. S, exilis* 



The Least Tern of North America appears to be restricted to the Atlantic coast ; 

 occurring occasionally in the interior, along the banks of our larger rivers. I havo 

 never met with it north of Southern Massachusetts ; but IVIr. Boardinan informs nu- 

 that it is occasionally seen in midsummer as far east as the St. Croix Eiver and tlu^ 

 Passamaquoddy — where, however, it is very rare. Aiulubon claims to have found 

 this species breeding off Labrador, in June, 1833, and to have again observed it on 

 Newfoundland on the 14th of August ; but I can find no corroboration of its presence 

 beyond the Bay of Fundy. 



Tliis species is supposed to leave the United States in the month of October, and 

 to return here in the following April. It is more or less common in .several of tlic 

 West India Islands. In Cuba it is undoubtedly a resident, and breeds there. In 



1 Sterna mixuta. 



Sterna miimta, Linn. S. N. I. 1766, 228. — Keys. & Bi.as. Wiib. Eur. 97. — Naum. Vog. 

 Dcutschl. X. 1840, 145, pi. 254. — Macoim-. Man. II. 1840, 234. 



Sterna mctopolcucus, S. 0. Gsiel. Nov. Conini. Petrop. XV. 475, pi. 22. 



Sterna Jissipcs, Bkgu.m, ViJg. Deutsohl. 7U0 (not of Linn.). 



Sterna pomnri Ha and danica, Breu.m, t. c. 791. 



Lesser Tern, Yarr. Brit. B. cd. 2, III. 519, fig. ; ed. 3, III. 524, fig. ; et AucT. 

 Hab. Paliearctic Region, to India and Capo of Good Hope. 

 * Sterna superciliaris. 



Sterna stqyerciliaris, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. XXXII. 1819, 126. — ScL. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1871, 

 571. —Saunders, P. Z. S. 1878, 662. 



Sterna superciliaris, a. superciliaris, CouES, Birds N. W, 1874, 692. 



Sterna maeulala, Vieili,. Enc. Mcth. 1823, 350. 



Sterna argentea. Max. Voy. I. 1820, 67 ; Beitr. IV. 1833, 871. — Pelz. Orn. Bras. 1870, 325. 

 J7a6. Eastern South America, west to tlic headwaters of the Amazonian tributaries. 

 » Sterna exilis. 



Sterna exilis, Tsciii-ni, Faun. Per. Avcs, 1846, 306. — ScL. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1871, 572.— 

 Saunuers, ib. 1878, 663. 



Sterna, loratn, Pu. & Landd. Wiogm. Aichiv, 1863, pt. I. 124. 



Stemula loricata. Gray, Handl. III. 1871, 121. 

 Hab. Coast of Peru and Cliili. 



There are, in addition to these, S. sinensis, Gm. (Phina to Australia) ; S. sumatrana, Raffl. (Ceylon 

 to the Red Sea) ; S. nereis, Gould (Australia and New Zealand) ; and S. balwnarum, Strickl. (fioni 

 the Cape of Good Hojie). 



