﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  1 
  53 
  

  

  toward 
  the 
  tip; 
  feet 
  carmine; 
  iris 
  hazel. 
  Immature: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  grayish 
  

   brown; 
  under 
  parts 
  white; 
  bill 
  and 
  feet 
  duller 
  colored, 
  bill 
  smaller, 
  imper- 
  

   fectly 
  formed; 
  tail 
  less 
  forked. 
  

  

  Length 
  16-20 
  inches; 
  extent 
  42-50; 
  wing 
  13-16. 
  5; 
  tail 
  4-6, 
  forked 
  1.5; 
  

   bill, 
  upper 
  mandible 
  3; 
  under 
  mandible 
  3.5-4.5; 
  gape 
  4.5; 
  depth 
  of 
  under 
  

   mandible 
  .6; 
  tarsus 
  1.45; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  1.3. 
  

  

  The 
  Black 
  skimmer. 
  Scissor 
  bill. 
  Cutwater, 
  or 
  Shearwater, 
  is 
  an 
  occa- 
  

   sional 
  summer 
  visitant 
  off 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Long 
  Island, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  

   breed 
  north 
  of 
  Egg 
  Harbor, 
  N. 
  J. 
  Giraud 
  wrote, 
  "It 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  common 
  

   with 
  us," 
  but 
  DeKay 
  said, 
  "It 
  is 
  common 
  enough 
  with 
  us." 
  The 
  following 
  

   recent 
  records 
  are 
  all 
  that 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  my 
  attention 
  : 
  

  

  Rockaway, 
  L. 
  I. 
  July 
  26, 
  1876, 
  (2); 
  Sept. 
  3, 
  1876. 
  N. 
  T. 
  Lawrence, 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream, 
  

  

  10:235 
  

   South 
  Oyster 
  Bay, 
  L. 
  I. 
  Aug. 
  2, 
  1884. 
  Grinnell, 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream, 
  Aug. 
  7, 
  1884 
  

   Amityville, 
  L. 
  I. 
  May 
  6, 
  1893, 
  (2). 
  (Chichester). 
  Butcher 
  

  

  " 
  May 
  20, 
  1898. 
  " 
  Braishn, 
  p. 
  41 
  

  

  Whitesboro, 
  Oneida 
  co., 
  N. 
  Y. 
  Fall 
  of 
  1893. 
  Bagg, 
  Auk, 
  11; 
  162 
  

  

  Order 
  XUBINARES 
  

  

  Tube-nosed 
  Swimmers 
  

   Order 
  Procellariiformes, 
  Sharpe's 
  Hand-List 
  

  

  Nostrils 
  tubular; 
  bill 
  epignathous, 
  hooked 
  and 
  enlarged 
  at 
  the 
  tip; 
  

   covering 
  of 
  bill 
  in 
  several 
  horny 
  plates, 
  showing 
  sutures 
  between; 
  hind 
  

   toe 
  very 
  small 
  or 
  wanting, 
  elevated; 
  wings 
  usually 
  long 
  and 
  pointed; 
  ten 
  

   stiff 
  primaries; 
  10 
  to 
  30 
  short 
  secondaries, 
  the 
  fifth 
  wanting; 
  tail 
  rather 
  

   short, 
  usually 
  of 
  12 
  or 
  14 
  feathers; 
  palate 
  schizognathous 
  ; 
  nasals 
  holorhinal; 
  

   also 
  numerous 
  other 
  characters 
  of 
  internal 
  anatomy 
  ; 
  plumage 
  very 
  compact 
  

   and 
  oily; 
  the 
  body 
  often 
  so 
  fat 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  lamp 
  or 
  candle; 
  

   sexes 
  alike; 
  seasonal 
  changes 
  in 
  plumage, 
  if 
  any, 
  not 
  determined; 
  color 
  

   inclining 
  to 
  uniformity, 
  mostly 
  sooty 
  and 
  white; 
  a 
  single 
  egg 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  or 
  in 
  a 
  burrow. 
  

  

  These 
  birds 
  are 
  pelagic 
  in 
  distribution, 
  frequenting 
  the 
  shore 
  only 
  for 
  

   purposes 
  of 
  reproduction, 
  and 
  never 
  found 
  inland 
  except 
  when 
  driven 
  

   astray 
  by 
  storms. 
  The 
  species 
  are 
  largely 
  cosmopolitan, 
  often 
  ranging 
  

  

  