TERNS. 



81 



tail 

 L., 



under parts white ,' tail light pcnrl -gray, the outer feather darker toward the 

 end, wliere the inner web is always darker than the outer; l)ill dull orange, 

 tile end third blackish; feet orange, .id. in winter. — Similar to the above, 

 but head white, more or less washed with griiyish or sjiotted with l)laek, u 

 large blaek sjMjt on tiie side of the head iiu-losing tiie eye ; bill mostly black ; 

 feet brownish. /;«.. — .Similar to the preceding, but the liack and wings more 

 or less mottled or washed with light brownish, and the tail much shorter. 

 L., 1;")-0U ; W., 10-25 ; T., 7-00 ; Tar., 'JO ; B., l-uO. 



A'az/y*'.— Of more or le.ss general distribution throughout North America, 

 breeding in tlie east locally from Texas northward through the Mississippi 

 Valley to St. Clair Flats and Manitoba — recorded from Lake Mi.sta.ssini — ap- 

 parently not breeding on the Atlantic coast north of Virginia, but wandering 

 irregularly to Ma.ssachusetts. 



Washington, rare and irregular T V. Long Island, rare T. V. in fall. 



i\'tA'^, of seaweed. Hags, or weeds on a slight elevation in grassy marshes. 

 Etjijs.1 three, very variable, oli\e-gray, or olive brownish ashy, more rarely 

 whitish or bull', heavily marked with chocolate, l*bO x 1-ao. 



Dr. Brewer, writing of Mr. Ilidgway's experience with this species 

 on Cobb's Islaiul, Virginia, where it was found breeding in numbers, 

 says: "It was only loss abundant than the Auglica [— nilotica], and 

 quite as numerous us the hirnixlo. frequenting especially grassy 

 marshes, in which it nests. He found it pre-eminently a mavnh Tern. 

 It nested in company with, or in close proximity to, colonies of tlio 

 Black-headed (lull. It could be readily distinguished from the Com- 

 mon Torn, wliioh it closely resembles when on the wing, by its grating 

 monotonous note, wliich very closely resembles one frequently uttered 

 by the Loggerhead Shrike" (B. B., and R.). 



thern 



which 



mer. — 



ider of 



entire 



70. Sterna hirundo Linn. Common Tkun; Wii.sox's Tkun ; Ska 

 SwAM.ow (see Fig. 7). Ad. in Kinnmer. — Whole top of the head black; back 

 and wings pearl-gray ; inner border of inner web of outer primaries white, 

 except at the tip (Fig. fil, c) ; throat white ; hnn-'^t and hiUi/ jxile peavl-firny ; 

 tail white, the outer webs of the outer feathers gray or pearl-gray ; bill red at 

 the base, the end third black ; feet orange-red. Ad. in winter. — Similar to 

 the above, but front part of the head and luider parts white: bill mostly 

 blaek. Im. — Similar to the prceedim.'. but the back more or less washed or 

 mottled with light brownish; lesser winir-eoverta slaty gray, and tail iimch 

 shorter. L., ITi-OO ; W., lO-ii.i; T., .^)-:.o; Tar., •75; B., 1-40. 



Rf-marh. — The Common Tern is closely related to Forster's Tern and also 

 to the Arctic Tern. From the former it is to be distinL'uished by the color of 

 the long outer tni'-feathers. In the Common Tern the outer web of these 

 feathers is always darker than the inner wel>; in Forster's Tern the inner 

 web is always ilarker than the outer one. Ailult Common Terns have the 

 breast and belly washed with pearl-gray., wlnle in Forster's Tern these parts 

 are pure white. 



The Common Tern differs from the Arctic Tern in having the bill tipped 

 7 



