LONGIPENNES. 33 



20. (74.) Sterna antillarum (Less.). 284. 



Least Tern. 



Synonyms: Sterna minuta, S. frenata, S. superciliaris, Sternula 



antillarum, Sterna superciliaris antillarum. 

 Audubon, Orn. Biog., IV, 1838, 175. 



The records for this tern are few but well scattered over 

 the state. It appears to be a rare migrant everywhere. I 

 have never seen it at the lake shore. Its routes of migra- 

 tion may be largely confined to the western half of the state. 



21. (77.) Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis (Gmel.). 



285, 



Black Tern. 

 Synonyms: Hydrochelidon lariformis surinamensis, H. larifor- 

 mis, H. plumbea, H. flssipes. Sterna nigra, S. surinamen- 

 sis. 

 Short-tailed Tern. 

 Audubon, Orn. Biog., Ill, 1835, 535. 



The Black Tern is nowhere as common as the Common 

 Tern, but it is not at all rare as a summer resident in the 

 vicinity of Sandusky and Toledo. I have been unable to 

 find it farther east as a summer resident. While the Com- 

 mon Terns breed upon the islands well up from the water 

 the Black Terns choose the marshes, building a nest on the 

 rotten floating vegetation in the swamps where there is no 

 danger from waves. 



The spring migrations occur during the second week in 

 May at Oberlin, but probably a week earlier in the region 

 of Sandusky, I have no records for the departure south- 

 ward. We found them on the Ohio river late in August. 



Order STEGANOPODES. Totipalmate Swimmers. 



Family Phalacrocoracid^. Cormorants. 



One member of this family passes across Ohio, and 

 nested in former years. Cormorants are great fish eat- 

 ers, and probably eat little if anything else. The Chinese 

 train them to fish for them. 



