﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  I37 
  

  

  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  hood 
  are 
  well 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  figure 
  on 
  plate 
  6. 
  Immature 
  

   birds 
  have 
  no 
  hood 
  or 
  collar; 
  upper 
  parts 
  slaty 
  gray 
  waved 
  and 
  tipped 
  

   with 
  brownish 
  white 
  ; 
  under 
  parts 
  white 
  ; 
  tail 
  white 
  with 
  a 
  black 
  bar 
  one 
  

   inch 
  wide 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  narrowing 
  toward 
  the 
  edges. 
  Adult 
  birds 
  in 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  have 
  a 
  black 
  bill, 
  yellowish 
  toward 
  the 
  tip, 
  black 
  feet, 
  dark 
  brown 
  

   iris, 
  vermilion 
  mouth 
  and 
  eyelids. 
  

  

  Length 
  13-14 
  inches; 
  wing 
  10-11.25; 
  tail 
  4.5-5; 
  forked 
  .7-1.25; 
  bill 
  i; 
  

   depth 
  of 
  bill 
  at 
  angle 
  .3; 
  tarsus 
  1.25; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  1.25. 
  

  

  This 
  beautiful 
  arctic 
  species 
  is 
  a 
  rare 
  visitant 
  in 
  this 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  

   barely 
  mentioned 
  by 
  DeKay 
  and 
  Lawrence, 
  evidently 
  on 
  the 
  authority 
  

   of 
  a 
  specimen 
  killed 
  at 
  Raynor 
  South, 
  L. 
  I., 
  in 
  July 
  1837, 
  and 
  reported 
  in 
  

   Giraud's 
  Birds 
  of 
  Long 
  Island, 
  page 
  363, 
  and 
  Baird, 
  Brewer 
  and 
  Ridgway, 
  

   Water 
  Birds, 
  volume 
  2, 
  page 
  272. 
  A 
  second 
  specimen 
  from 
  the 
  State 
  was 
  

   reported 
  by 
  Worthington 
  in 
  Auk, 
  volume 
  17, 
  page 
  63. 
  It 
  was 
  an 
  immature 
  

   female 
  and 
  was 
  killed 
  in 
  Gardiners 
  bay, 
  on 
  October 
  6th, 
  1899. 
  Its 
  stomach 
  

   contained 
  a 
  cutworm 
  and 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  other 
  insects. 
  The 
  only 
  specimen 
  

   known 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  is 
  an 
  adult 
  bird 
  in 
  stmimer 
  plumage, 
  

   taken 
  on 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  marshes, 
  in 
  Seneca 
  county 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1887, 
  by 
  

   Foster 
  Parker 
  of 
  Cayuga, 
  and 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  author's 
  collection. 
  

  

  Gelochelidon 
  nilotica 
  (Hasselquist) 
  

   Gull-billed 
  Tern 
  

  

  Plate 
  7 
  

  

  Sterna 
  nilotica 
  Hasselquist. 
  Reise 
  nach 
  Pal. 
  Deutsche 
  Ausg. 
  1762. 
  p. 
  325 
  

   Sterna 
  anglica 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  301, 
  fig. 
  279 
  

   Gelochelidon 
  nilotica 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  63 
  

  

  gelocheli'don, 
  Gr. 
  yeAws, 
  laughter; 
  x^'^'Sali/, 
  a 
  swallow; 
  nilo'tica, 
  of 
  the 
  Nile 
  

  

  Description. 
  Adult 
  in 
  summer: 
  Crown 
  and 
  occipital 
  crest 
  greenish 
  

   black; 
  neck, 
  tail 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  white; 
  mantle, 
  rump, 
  and 
  middle 
  tail 
  

   feathers 
  pale 
  pearl 
  -gray; 
  primaries 
  dusky 
  grayish, 
  the 
  first 
  silvered 
  on 
  the 
  

   outer 
  web, 
  the 
  shafts 
  of 
  all 
  yellowish, 
  and 
  their 
  inner 
  webs 
  with 
  white 
  

   spaces, 
  largest 
  on 
  the 
  first, 
  diminishing 
  to 
  the 
  last; 
  bill 
  and 
  feet 
  black; 
  the 
  

   bill 
  heavy 
  and 
  somewhat 
  curved 
  over 
  at 
  the 
  tip. 
  In 
  ivinter: 
  Similar, 
  but 
  

   the 
  head 
  white 
  with 
  a 
  grayish 
  spot 
  before 
  the 
  eye 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  ear. 
  

  

  Length 
  13-15 
  inches; 
  extent 
  33-37; 
  wing 
  11. 
  75-12. 
  25; 
  tail 
  5.5, 
  forked 
  

   1. 
  2-1. 
  75; 
  bill 
  1.4; 
  depth 
  of 
  bill 
  at 
  base 
  .45; 
  gape 
  2; 
  tarsus 
  1.3; 
  middle 
  toe 
  

   and 
  claw 
  i.i. 
  

  

  