﻿j^S 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  This 
  southern 
  species, 
  also 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Marsh, 
  Anghcan, 
  or 
  Nuttall 
  

   tern 
  is 
  an 
  accidental 
  summer 
  visitant 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  this 
  State. 
  Giraud 
  

   and 
  DeKay 
  found 
  it 
  rare 
  on 
  the 
  coast, 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  occurs 
  

   more 
  frequently 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  a 
  statement 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  

   to 
  verify 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  certainly 
  not 
  true 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  A 
  record 
  of 
  its 
  

   capture 
  on 
  Shinnecock 
  bay, 
  L. 
  I., 
  on 
  July 
  8th, 
  1884, 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  Butcher, 
  

   Atik, 
  volume 
  2, 
  page 
  38; 
  and 
  on 
  South 
  Oyster 
  ba}', 
  a 
  pair 
  on 
  July 
  4, 
  1882, 
  

   Attk, 
  volume 
  i, 
  page 
  34; 
  also 
  Point 
  Lookout, 
  Queens 
  county, 
  July 
  i, 
  1885, 
  

   (5), 
  Butcher's 
  Long 
  Island 
  Notes. 
  This 
  cosmopolitan 
  species 
  breeds 
  on 
  

   the 
  Gulf 
  and 
  the 
  vSouth 
  Atlantic 
  coasts, 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  southern 
  New 
  Jerse}^ 
  

  

  Sterna 
  caspia 
  Pallas 
  

   Caspian 
  Tern 
  

  

  Plate 
  8 
  

  

  Sterna 
  caspia 
  Pallas. 
  Nov. 
  Comm. 
  Petrop. 
  1770. 
  14: 
  582, 
  pi. 
  22, 
  fig. 
  2 
  

   Sterna 
  ca^^ana 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  299, 
  fig. 
  277 
  

   Sterna 
  tschegrava 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  64 
  

  

  ster'na, 
  from 
  Eng. 
  stern 
  or 
  tern; 
  cas'pia, 
  of 
  the 
  Caspian 
  sea 
  

  

  Description. 
  Adult 
  in 
  summer: 
  Large; 
  crown 
  and 
  occipital 
  crest 
  

   gloss}^ 
  greenish 
  black; 
  neck, 
  tail 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  white; 
  mantle 
  pale 
  pearl- 
  

   gray; 
  primaries 
  grayish 
  black, 
  heavily 
  silvered, 
  but 
  the 
  inner 
  webs 
  entirely 
  

   gray; 
  hill 
  very 
  large, 
  coral 
  red; 
  feet 
  black. 
  In 
  fall 
  and 
  winter: 
  Similar 
  but 
  

   the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  with 
  only 
  streaks 
  of 
  black. 
  Immature: 
  Top 
  of 
  the 
  

   head 
  streaked 
  with 
  black 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  spotted 
  and 
  barred 
  with 
  

   blackish; 
  bill 
  paler 
  color. 
  

  

  Length 
  20-23.5 
  inches 
  ; 
  extent 
  50-55; 
  wing 
  i5-i7.5;tail 
  5-6.75, 
  forked 
  

   1.5 
  ; 
  bill 
  2.5-3.1 
  ; 
  depth 
  of 
  bill 
  .g 
  ; 
  gape 
  4; 
  tarsus 
  1.75 
  ; 
  tibia 
  bare 
  .75 
  ; 
  middle 
  

   toe 
  1.65. 
  

  

  The 
  Caspian 
  tern 
  was 
  not 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Giraud 
  or 
  BeKay 
  as 
  occurring 
  

   in 
  the 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  cosmopolitan 
  in 
  distribution 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  regular 
  but 
  rather 
  

   uncommon 
  transient 
  visitant 
  both 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  the 
  larger 
  lakes 
  of 
  New 
  

   York. 
  It 
  breeds 
  both 
  south 
  of 
  us 
  and 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  northward, 
  but 
  nowhere 
  

   within 
  our 
  borders. 
  A 
  curious 
  fact 
  noticed 
  by 
  several 
  observers 
  is 
  that 
  

   they 
  almost 
  always 
  appear 
  in 
  pairs 
  on 
  the 
  autumn 
  migration, 
  a 
  young 
  bird 
  

   escorted 
  bv 
  an 
  old 
  one. 
  

  

  