TERNS 169 
dusky; orbital and auricular regions dusky blackish; remainder of the head, 
extreme lower part of the nape, and entire lowerparts white, the nape and 
sometimes the breast, finely mottled with buffy gray; back, scapulars, wing- 
coverts, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail pale pearl-blue, the back and 
scapulars overlaid with pale buff irregularly mottled with dusky, each 
feather with a submarginal dusky V-shaped mark; primary coverts and 
primaries dark bluish gray edged with paler, the inner webs of the latter 
broadly edged with white; tail-feathers, marked near their ends much like 
the longer scapulars, their outer webs rather dark grayish; bill brownish 
dusky; feet dusky.” L., 15°50; W., 9°50; T., 7°50; B., 1°50 (B., B., and R.). 
Range.—Temperate and tropical regions. Breeds locally from Sable 
Island to L. I. and from the Bahamas to Lesser Antilles and Venezuela; 
formerly from Maine to Fla.; rare migrant in Cen. Am.; winters from the 
Bahamas to Brazil; accidental in Ohio; occurs on the coasts of a large part of 
the E. Hemisphere. 
Long Island, formerly uncommon but regular 8. R., May through Sept. 
(Dutcher). N. Ohio, casual T. V. 
Nest, as in Common Tern. Eggs, 3, not distinguishable with certainty 
from those of S. forstert or S. hirundo, but averaging paler and less heavily 
aaa es 1:20. Date, Cobb’s Is., Va., May 18, 1871; Muskeget Is., 
ass., June 7. 
This species is found in small numbers associated with colonies 
of Common Terns, apparently making its nest among theirs. It is a 
less excitable, wilder bird than hirundo, and its single harsh note, cack, 
may be distinctly heard above the the uproar of Common Terns, as it 
hovers somewhat in the background. Its white breast and long outer 
tail-feathers also aid in distinguishing it. 
74. Sterna antillarum (Zess.). Least TERN. Ads. in summer.— 
Forehead white, lores and crown. black; back, tail and wings pearl-gray; 
outer web of outer primaries and shaft part of inner web slaty black; under- 
parts white; bill yellow, generally tipped with black; feet orange. "Ads, in 
winter. —Top of head white, more or less spotted with black; back of head 
black; bill blackish. Im. —Upperparts and tail at end mottled with blackish 
and buffy, primaries as in adult, underparts white, bill blackish. L., 9°00; 
W., 6°90; T., 3°50; B., 1°10. 
Range.—Tropical and temperate Am. Breeds on coast of s. Calif. and 
on Gulf coast from Tex. eastward; also n. to Mo. (formerly to Iowa) and nw. 
Nebr., has occurred in Wisc. and S. D.; breeds also from the coasts of 
Mass., Va., N. C., and Fla. s. to the Bahamas, W. Indies, British Honduras 
and Venezuela; now rare, but formerly abundant in the breeding season 
from Fla. to Maine, wandering to Lab. and N. F.; in migration occurs on 
one ee of L. Calif. and w. Mex.; winters from the Gulf coast to Venezuela 
and Peru 
Washington, casual T. V.; Long Island, T. V., formerly abundant S. R., 
now rare. N. Ohio, common 5. R.in Sandusky marshes, May 10-Sept. 26. 
SE. Minn., rare T. V., Aug. 29. 
Nest, a slight depression in the sand. Eggs, 3-4, buffy white, speckled or 
spotted with chocolate, 1°25 x ‘90. Date, Matanzas Inlet, Fla., May 18, 
1894; Cobb’s Is., Va., May 28, 1886. 
The Least Tern was brought so near the verge of extinction by mil- 
liners’ collectors that in spite of protection it has never recovered from 
the attack. There is a small colony on Martha’s Vineyard, and they are 
found breeding locally in small numbers from North Carolina south- 
ward. 
Small size is always a good character in identifying this species, and 
