46 BULLETIN 326, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



scavengers. Bowdish saw two feeding on the body of a booby which he had 

 skinned and thrown into the water. 



NODDY. Anoiis stolidus stolidus (Linnaeus). 

 Gaviota, Cervera. 



The noddy was an abundant species on Desecheo Island the middle of June 

 and was not noted except in that vicinity. About 2,000 of them were already 

 on the island, while many had not yet come in to nest. The birds were found 

 on the rough limestone ledges in parties of from half a dozen to 500, and their 

 nests, mere collections of small fiat stones, a twig or two, and perhaps a 

 feather, were in hollows in the rock. Four eggs collected showed incuttation of 

 about five days and one was fresh. The females were apparently doing most 

 of the incubating, with the males standing guard, but the latter must have occu- 

 pied the nests part of the time, as all showed bare incubation patches on the 

 breast. 



Bowdish (1902-3, p. 358) notes them as common on the coasts of the main 

 island and abundant on Mona and Desecheo. The nesting dates apparently 

 vary somewhat from year to year, as he found well-grown young June 24, 1900. 



Food. — Three stomachs of the noddy taken on Desecheo were examined and one 

 was found to be entirely empty. Another contained the horny beaked jaws of a 

 squid, and the third one medium-sized and two small fish. Definite statements 

 concerning the food of this bird can not be made from this small amount of 

 material, but undoubtedly fish form a large part of it and various marine ani- 

 mals the rest. 



BLACK TERN. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis (Gmelin). 

 .Gaviota, Gaviota Negra. 



The only authentic record of the black tern is that of Gundlach (1878a, p. 

 191), who saw a specimen in the collection of Blanco in San Juan. It must be 

 considered of casual occurrence in this region. 



BRIDLED TERN. Sterna ancetheta Scopoli. 

 Gaviota. 



The handsome bridled tern was common on the rough, eroded limestone rocks 

 strewing the lower portions of the north and west coasts of Desecheo Island. 

 Bowdish (1902-3, p. 357) found them common on Desecheo and Mona and also 

 records them from the coast of the main island, but Gundlach did not find them. 

 As nearly as could be estimated there were about -1,500 of them on Desecheo. 

 June 15 was apparently the beginning of the breeding season, as, although two 

 eggs taken were far along in incubation, many of the birds had not laid. 



Food. — Of five stomachs examined one was entirely empty. Fish remains 

 were present in all the other stomachs and amounted to 70 per cent. One 

 species was identified as a filefish (Alutera sp.). Mollusks (25 per cent) were 

 represented by a gastropod and a cephalopod (Spirula australis), the latter one 

 of the few of that order bearing a shell that exist to-day. Miscellaneous mat- 

 ter (5 per cent) consisted of a moth and a small echinoderm. Fish and marine 

 mollusks form the large bulk of the food, and under present conditions the 

 birds are to be considered harmless, as the fish eaten are not of economic 

 importance. 



SOOTY TERN. Sterna fuscata Linnaeus. 

 Gaviota, Gaviota Oscdra. 



Gundlach (1878, p. 414) found sooty terns common on the north coast of 

 Porto Bico and in July noted them at Mayaguez, while Stahl (1887, p. 453) 



