TRUDEAU'S TERN— SOOTY TERN. 



123 



tionable that, other things being equal, young birds are for a while 

 less wary than their parents, as certainly as in the case of our own 

 species. The White Egret is an illustration in point. We are 

 familiar with the difficulty that Audubon records of his expe- 

 rience in attempting to shoot these birds ; and those of us who 

 have tried can attest the same thing. But such strategy is not 

 always required, late in the summer and early in the fall, to obtain 

 birds of the year. At Fort Yuma, where the birds are very com- 

 mon, I had frequent occasion to wonder at their want of shyness 

 in the fall, not to say their absolute stupidity. On one occasion 

 that I remember I came upon a young bird that was quietly feed- 

 ing at a little pool. Notwithstanding that I was on horseback 

 znd had come clattering along, the bird, not frightened at the 

 noise and sudden appearance, merely drew itself up at full height 

 to look a moment, and then bent its long neck again to resume its 

 meal, within fifteen steps of me. It was to have been hoped that 

 it could have lived long enough to learn better. Speaking in gen- 

 eral terms, and without considering the artificial frame of mind 

 brought about by man's interference, the shyness of any Heron 

 corresponds exactly to its size ; and it is so with many other birds, 

 particularly Gulls— the larger the species, the more wary. The 

 smaller kinds, as the Green Heron and the Least Bittern, show 

 little concern at being approached. It would almost seem as 

 if the greater birds were aware how likely to attract harmful 

 attention their imposing appearance made them, and as if the little 

 ones trusted to their insignificance for protection. It is only 

 another interpretation of La Fontaine's crowned rats. The grada- 

 tion in size among Herons calls up one other point. Such species 

 as the Great Blue and the Great White are certainly to be con- 

 sidered of dignified bearing, and their motions have something of 

 grace and beauty as well. But, though the Green, and the Least, 

 and others have almost exactly the same form and the same attitudes 

 and movements, they would never be called dignified or elegant 

 birds. Analyzing this difference in the way the birds impress us, 

 I can not see that anything but size is in question. This is the 

 real secret ; the large Blue Heron is dignified by its size alone ; 

 the little Green Heron, that copies every posture and action of the 

 other, only succeeds in being grotesque, if not actually ridicu- 

 lous — the more so from the very fact of its imitation. The paral- 

 lel that may be drawn is a broad and long one. 



"The White Egret is rather a delicate bird, preferring warm 

 weather, and consequently restricted in geographical distribution. 

 In New England it is only a rare visitor, and is not known to breed. 

 I may here observe that a certain northward migration of some 

 southerly birds at this season is nowhere more noticeable than 

 among the Herons and their allies, the migrants consisting chiefly 

 of birds hatched that year, which unaccountably stray in what 

 seems to us the wrong direction. Massachusetts is the northern- 

 most record of the species in New England. It is rather decidedly a 

 maritime bird, like its smaller relative (Ardea candidissima) , and 

 seldom penetrates any distance inland except along our largest 

 rivers — the Mississippi, Rio Grande, and Colorado. I never saw 

 it in the interior of the Carolinas, along the coasts of which I 

 found it very abundant, and throughout the low, flat, marshy or 

 swampy districts. On the Pacific coast it is not recorded north 

 of California. I met with it frequently in Southern California 

 near the coast, and on a few occasions on the Mojave river, not far 

 from Soda Lake, perhaps rather an exceptional inland locality, as 

 the desert environing on all sides but one must be a great barrier. 

 The Arizonian birds are gathered chiefly along the Colorado, par- 

 ticularly its lower portions." — Coues. 



Trudeau's Tern. {Sterna trudeaui.') 



Fig. 2. 



This rare and remarkable species was first procured by J. 

 Trudeau, Esq., of Louisiana. The coloration of its plumage is 



distinct and peculiar from that of any other species of Tern. 

 There is hardly a doubt but what this bird is a distinct species 

 of the Terns ; but there is a doubt whether it is a North American 

 species. Dr. Coues, one of our best informed ornithologists, says : 

 " The only question is regarding the propriety of introducing the 

 species among North American birds. For myself, I doubt that 

 it was ever actually taken within our limits ; but I have no means 

 of disproving our author's positive assertion to that effect." 



Sooty Tern. (Sterna fuliginosa?) 

 Fig. 3- 



This is one of our well-known species, and in the southern 

 parts of North America it is very numerous. To the navigators it 

 is one of the indications of the near approach of land. They are 

 mostly met with along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Audubon 

 gives quite an extended account of this bird, from which we copy 

 the following : 



" Early the next morning I was put on shore, and remained 

 there until I had completed my observation on the Terns. Having 

 seated myself on the shelly sand, which here formed the only soil, 

 I remained almost motionless for several hours, in consequence 

 of which the birds alighted about me, at the distance of only a 

 few yards, so that I could plainly see with what efforts and pains 

 the younger females deposited their eggs. Their bills were open, 

 and their pantings indicated their distress ; but after the egg had 

 been expelled, they immediately walked ofT, in an awkward man- 

 ner, until they reached a place where they could arise without 

 striking the branches of the bushes near them, when they flew 

 away. Here and there, in numerous places within twenty yards 

 of me, females, having their complement of eggs, alighted and 

 quietly commenced the labor of incubation. Now and then a male 

 bird also settled close by, and immediately disgorged a small fish 

 within the reach of the female. After some curious reciprocal 

 nods of their heads, which were doubtless intended as marks 

 of affection, the caterer would fly off". Several individuals, which 

 had not commenced laying their eggs, I saw scratch the sand with 

 their feet, in the manner of the common fowl, while searching for 

 food. 



In the course of this operation they frequently seated them- 

 selves in the shallow basin, to try how it fitted their form, or find 

 out what was still wanted to insure their comfort. Not the least 

 semblance of a quarrel did I observe between any two of these 

 interesting creatures — indeed, they all appeared as if happy mem- 

 bers of a single family; and, as if to gratify my utmost wishes, 

 a few of them went through the process of courtship in my 

 presence. The male birds frequently threw their heads over their 

 backs as it were, in the manner of several species of Gulls ; they 

 also swelled out their throats, walked round the female, and ended 

 by uttering a soft puffing sound as they caressed them. Then the 

 pair for a moment or two walked round each other, and at length 

 rose on wing and soon disappeared. Such is one of the many 

 sights it has been my good fortune to witness ; and by each of them 

 have I been deeply impressed with a sense of the pervading power 

 of the Deity. 



"The Sooty Tern always lays three eggs as its full number. 

 . . . When wounded and seized by the hand, this bird bites 

 severely, and utters a plaintive cry, differing from its usual note, 

 which is loud and shrill, resembling the syllables oo-ee, oo-ee. 

 Their nests are all scooped near the roots or stems of the bushes, 

 and under the shade of their boughs — in many places within a few 

 inches of each other. They generally measure two inches and 

 one-eighth by one and a half, have a smooth shell, with the ground 

 of a pale cream color, sparingly marked with various tints of 

 lightish umber, and still lighter marks of purple, which appear 

 as if within the shell." 



