BIRDS — STEENINAE STERNA PIKEI. 



863 



Sp. Ch. — Mult. Upper part, and sides of the head to a line just below the eye, and hind neck, black ; back and_wings bluish 

 gray ; primaries grayish white on the outer webs, and dusky gray on the inner next the shaft, and over the entire web at the 

 end, darker on the inner margin, the remaining portion of inner webs white ; tail bluish gray, except the outer web of the 

 outer tail feather which is white, the inner web of this feather blackish gray for about two inches from the end ; rump white 

 with a slight tinge of pale bluish gray ; sides of the head, throat, and entire under surface, white; in the dried specimens the bill 

 is orange yellow at the base, black near the end, with the tip pale yellow ; legs and feet scarlet. 



Length of skin 14 inches ; wing, 10' ; tan, 6 ; bill, 1^ ; tarsus, I. 



Hah — Louisiana to Florida ; New York, fur countries, and California. 



Three specimens are ia the collection. 



It is distinguished from 8. wilsoni by having the outer weh of the exterior tail feather white, 

 and the end of the inner web duslry gray, the reverse of wilsoni ; the tarsi are also uniformly 

 longer, as in five specimens now before me, 



lAst of specimens. 



STERNA PARADISEA, Brtinnich. 



Tlie Roseate Tern. 



Sterna paradisea, ButjuN. Orn. Bor 1764, 46. 



Sterna dougallii, Nutt. Man. II, 1834, 978.— Aud. Orn. Biog. Ill, 1835, 296.— Is. Birds. Am. VII, 1844, 112 ; pi. 

 ccccxxxvii. 



Sp. Ch. — Adult. Upper part of the head and long occipital feathers deep black ; hind neck white ; back and wings pale bluish 

 gray ; first primary blackish gray on the outer web and on the inner next the shaft ; the other primaries bluish gray, the second 

 and third dusky gray near the shaft ; all the primaries white on the inner part of their inner webs ; secondaries and tertiaries 

 edged with white ; tail very light pearl gray ; entire under plumage white, with a beautiful roseate tinge ; bill brownish black, 

 orange at the base ; iris brown ; legs and feet vermilion. 



Length, 16 inches ; wing, 9^ ; tail, 8 ; bill, 1^ ; tarsus, 13-16. 



Hah. — Florida to New York. 



Specimens in my cabinet and that of Prof. Baird. 



STERNA PIKEI, Lawrence. 



Tlie Slemder-lJlllecl Term. 



Sterna pikei, Lawr. Annals N. Y. Lyceum, VII, 1853, 3. 



Sp. Ch. Mult. Front white speckled with dark gray ; crown and occiput black ; back and wings bluish gray ; smaller 



wing coverts dark plumbeous ; outer web of the first primary brownish black, inner web next the shaft dusky gray, with the 

 inner margin white ; the other primaries are dark bluish gray on the outer webs and on the inner next the shaft, alsj at the end 

 of the inner web ; inner webs of all the tail feathers white, the outer webs of the long lateral tail feathers grayish black with 

 the tip white, outer webs of the others very pale gray ; throat, upper tail coverts and whole under plumage, white ; bill dark 

 brown tinged with dark red (probably deep carmine in the living bird) ; legs and feet orange. 



Length, 13 inches ; wing, 9 ; tail, 5^ ; bill, U ; tarsus, |. 



Hab. — Coast- of California. 



One specimen in my cabinet. 



