﻿146 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Sterna 
  paradisaea 
  Briinnich 
  

   Arctic 
  Tern 
  

  

  Plate 
  7 
  

  

  Sterna 
  paradisaea 
  Brunnich. 
  Ornith. 
  Borealis. 
  1764. 
  p. 
  46 
  

   Sterna 
  arctica 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  302 
  

   Sterna 
  paradisaea 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  71 
  

  

  paradisae'a 
  from 
  paradisus, 
  paradise 
  

  

  Distinctive 
  marks. 
  The 
  first 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  primaries 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  Common 
  tern, 
  but 
  the 
  blackish 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  web 
  is 
  less 
  extensive, 
  

   leaving 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  line 
  of 
  grayish 
  along 
  the 
  shaft; 
  tail 
  white, 
  streamers 
  

   very 
  long, 
  the 
  outer 
  webs 
  of 
  the 
  outside 
  feathers 
  grayish 
  black, 
  the 
  inner 
  

   webs 
  slightly 
  tinged 
  with 
  pearl-gray; 
  bill 
  is 
  slighter 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  rich 
  carmine 
  

   color; 
  tarsi 
  and 
  feet 
  are 
  smaller, 
  of 
  an 
  intense 
  carmine; 
  the 
  breast 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  

   deeper 
  lavender 
  gray 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  Common 
  tern. 
  Young: 
  Scarcely 
  distinguish 
  - 
  

   able 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Common 
  tern. 
  Note 
  the 
  comparative 
  dimensions 
  

   carefully: 
  ''forehead 
  white; 
  shoulders 
  darker 
  than 
  in 
  h 
  i 
  r 
  u 
  n 
  d 
  o 
  ; 
  upper 
  parts 
  

   in 
  general 
  darker; 
  the 
  middle 
  tail 
  feathers 
  grayish, 
  bill, 
  tarsi 
  and 
  feet 
  shorter 
  

   than 
  in 
  h 
  i 
  r 
  u 
  n 
  d 
  o. 
  

  

  Length 
  14-17 
  inches; 
  extent 
  29-33; 
  wing 
  10-10.75; 
  tail 
  6.5-8.5, 
  forked 
  

   4-5; 
  bill 
  1. 
  2-1. 
  4; 
  depth 
  of 
  bill 
  .3; 
  gonys 
  .75; 
  tarsus 
  .55-65; 
  tibia 
  bare 
  .45; 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  .8-.85. 
  Young: 
  bill 
  i. 
  08-1. 
  15; 
  tail 
  4 
  75-5. 
  

  

  The 
  Arctic 
  tern 
  is 
  a 
  rare 
  bird 
  in 
  this 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  barely 
  mentioned 
  

   by 
  Lawrence 
  and 
  DeKay, 
  and 
  Bergtold 
  gives 
  it 
  as 
  an 
  accidental 
  visitant 
  

   near 
  Buffalo. 
  Air 
  Dutcher 
  has 
  one 
  specimen, 
  a 
  male 
  taken 
  on 
  Ram 
  island 
  

   shoals, 
  July 
  i, 
  1884. 
  According 
  to 
  Brewster, 
  [B. 
  N. 
  0. 
  C, 
  4:15], 
  the 
  Arctic 
  

   tern 
  bred 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  New 
  England 
  coast 
  in 
  1878. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  bird 
  of 
  

   holarctic 
  distribution, 
  breeding 
  northward 
  to 
  unknown 
  latitudes, 
  and 
  

   migrating 
  southward 
  in 
  winter 
  as 
  far 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  Virginia 
  on 
  the 
  American 
  

   coast. 
  It 
  is 
  remarkable 
  that 
  so 
  few 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  on 
  our 
  

   coast, 
  and 
  those 
  in 
  summer! 
  

  

  