410 LAEID^. 



Water Cay^ {0. S.); Hondueas, Ruatan I. (Gamner''); Nicabagua, Grey- 

 town {Holland ^^); Panama {M'Leannan% Santiago de Veragua (Arcef^^). — 

 ISLA^'DS OF ALL Tegpical Oceajn^s, but almost unknown on the Pacific side of 

 South America ^. 



The well-known " Sooty " Tern is very similar in colour to the preceding species, 

 but is distinguished by its larger size and uniform mantle, which is not paler than the 

 rest of the upper surface, as in S. ancesthefa : the frontal white band is broader, and 

 the white streak above the eyes is also wider and does not reach beyond them, 

 being separated by a narrow continuation of the loral stripe ; the inner toe is also 

 much less excised than in S. ancestJieta^ . The young birds are sooty-brown below. 

 Mr. Howard Saunders gives the habitat of the species as follows : — " Tropical and 

 juxta-tropical seas, wherever suitable islands and reefs exist ; occasionally wandering 

 to Maine in North America, and to Europe, even as far as England. Almost unknown 

 on the South American side of the Pacific; otherwise very generally distributed." 

 S. fuliginosa occurs plentifully on the islaads off the southern coast of Florida^, 

 and is found on both sides of Central America, breeding on the islands off the coast 

 of British Honduras and also on Isabel Island, near San Bias, in Western Mexico ^^ ^"^ . 

 Nelson found it plentiful in the vicinity of the Tres Marias, breeding on Isabel. 

 He savs that the species is never seen near the shore of the mainland, usually keeping 

 far out at sea. It appears to be seminoctumal, and is a constant resident throughout 

 the locality ^^. Grayson also noticed S. fuliginosa near the Tres Marias and Socorro 

 Island, but that it was only seen in scattered parties about the Revillag:igedo group ^^ ^^. 



In certain spots, such as the Island of Ascension, the Sooty Terns breed in incredible 

 numbers, laying but one egg on the ground, without any attempt at a nest. The e^s 

 resemble those of S. anaestheta, but are somewhat larger ; the surface-markings are 

 coarser and of a brighter reddish-brown, frequently blending together at the broad end 

 to form an irregular cap or zone ; the ground-colour is usually of a creamy tint, and 

 comparatively few eggs are tinged with pink ; the underlying markings are generally 

 large and clear ". 



9. Sterna antillarum. 



Sternida antillarum, Less. Descr. Mamm. et Ois. p. 256 '. 



Sterna antillarum, Salv. Ibis, 1864, pp. 384% 387'; 1866, p. 199*; Coues, Ibis, 1864, p. 390'; 

 Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 571 '; Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mas. no. 4, p. 52'; Baird^ 

 Brewer, & Ridgway, Water-Birds N. Amer. ii. p. 309 ' ; A. O. U. Check-1. N. Amer. Birds, 

 2iid ed. p. 26 ' ; Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxv. p. 122 " ; Gates, Cat. Eggs Brit. Mus. 

 i. p. 194, t. 14. fig. 3 ". 



Sterna superciliaris (nee VieiU.), Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 318 ". 



Sterna frenata. Dresser, Ibis, 1866, p. 44". 



PtU. astiv. Minima ; supra dare cinerea ; loris et pileo toto nuchaque nigerrimis ; coUo postico et inter- 

 scapulio summo vix albicantioribus ; fronte usque ad snpercilium anticum pure alba; alia dorso 



