﻿150 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  black, 
  silvered 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  edge 
  and 
  the 
  shafts 
  white 
  toward 
  the 
  base; 
  

   lining 
  of 
  wings 
  and 
  extreme 
  edge 
  of 
  lesser 
  wing 
  coverts 
  ashy 
  white 
  ; 
  under 
  

   tail 
  coverts 
  pure 
  white; 
  bill 
  black; 
  mouth 
  lake 
  red; 
  feet 
  reddish 
  brown; 
  

   iris 
  brown. 
  In 
  winter: 
  Head, 
  neck 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  white, 
  marked 
  on 
  the 
  

   crown, 
  nape, 
  eye 
  and 
  ear 
  region 
  with 
  blackish 
  ; 
  patches 
  of 
  black 
  in 
  the 
  white 
  

   while 
  moulting. 
  Immature: 
  Resemble 
  adults 
  in 
  winter 
  plumage, 
  but 
  the 
  

   upper 
  parts 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  washed 
  or 
  marked 
  with 
  brown, 
  especially 
  on 
  

   the 
  back, 
  which 
  is 
  quite 
  brown 
  in 
  the 
  interscapular 
  region 
  ; 
  sides 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   ash 
  3^ 
  brown. 
  

  

  Length 
  9-10.25 
  inches; 
  extent 
  23-25; 
  wing 
  8.25; 
  tail 
  3.3-3.75, 
  forked 
  

   .9; 
  bill 
  I.I, 
  depth 
  .25; 
  gape 
  1.6; 
  tarsus 
  .66; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  .95. 
  

  

  Distinctive 
  marks. 
  This 
  bird 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  

   other 
  terns, 
  for 
  its 
  general 
  structure 
  is 
  quite 
  different, 
  belonging 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  

   to 
  a 
  separate 
  genus 
  with 
  well 
  marked 
  characters. 
  The 
  bill 
  is 
  very 
  sharp 
  

   and 
  slender, 
  shorter 
  than 
  the 
  head, 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  middle 
  toe; 
  angle 
  of 
  

   gonys 
  very 
  acute; 
  wings 
  very 
  long, 
  pointed 
  and 
  without 
  distinct 
  markings; 
  

   primaries 
  broad, 
  not 
  acute; 
  secondaries 
  not 
  flowing; 
  tail 
  short, 
  only 
  slightly 
  

   forked, 
  without 
  streamers; 
  feet 
  short 
  and 
  slender, 
  webs 
  deeph' 
  incised; 
  

   colors 
  dark. 
  The 
  young 
  also 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  Least 
  tern 
  in 
  being 
  larger, 
  

   browner 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  tinged 
  with 
  grayish 
  brown 
  on 
  the 
  sides. 
  

  

  The 
  Black, 
  or 
  Short-tailed 
  tern, 
  is 
  a 
  fairly 
  common 
  migrant 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast 
  and 
  larger 
  inland 
  waters 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  chiefly 
  a 
  species 
  

   of 
  the 
  interior 
  and 
  is 
  consequently 
  somewhat 
  irregular 
  on 
  the 
  Long 
  Island 
  

   coast, 
  but 
  often 
  appears 
  in 
  flocks 
  of 
  hundreds 
  during 
  the 
  fall 
  migrations. 
  

   Such 
  flights 
  are 
  recorded 
  in 
  Butcher's 
  Long 
  Island 
  Notes, 
  especially 
  on 
  

   September 
  i-io, 
  1882, 
  and 
  September 
  5, 
  1884. 
  His 
  dates 
  range 
  from 
  July 
  

   12 
  to 
  September 
  14, 
  there 
  being 
  no 
  spring 
  record 
  for 
  the 
  coast, 
  but 
  Mr 
  W. 
  A. 
  

   Mead 
  reports 
  it 
  for 
  Carmel, 
  Putnam 
  coimty, 
  April 
  9th, 
  1896. 
  In 
  western 
  

   New 
  York 
  it 
  makes 
  its 
  appearance 
  late 
  in 
  April 
  — 
  April 
  27 
  (Erie, 
  Pa.), 
  

   April 
  28 
  (Canandaigua), 
  and"April 
  1893 
  "(Utica). 
  It 
  occurs 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  inland 
  

   lakes, 
  most 
  commonly 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  from 
  August 
  12 
  (Cohoes), 
  August 
  17 
  

   (Canandaigua) 
  and 
  August 
  18 
  (Schroon 
  lake) 
  to 
  September 
  30 
  (Penn 
  Yan) 
  

   and 
  October 
  2 
  (Niagara 
  river). 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  summer 
  resident 
  in 
  the 
  marshes 
  

   at 
  the 
  eastern 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  Ontario. 
  

  

  