4 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



parts are deeply suffused with a delicate peach-blossom hue, 

 some individuals being more richly colored than others. 



This gull breeds locally along the Gulf coast from Texas to 

 Florida, and locally on the Atlantic coast to Maine. 



10. Larus Philadelphia (Ord). Bonaparte's Gull. 



Bonaparte's Gull is a late autumn, winter, and late spring vis- 

 itant. It generally arrives from the north early in October and 

 is common by the 14th of the month. On August 20, 1909, one 

 was seen in Charleston Harbor — a very early record. 



Like the preceding species, this beautiful bird is in full nuptial 

 plumage by the third week of April, and after it has acquired its 

 breeding plumage it at once migrates to its breeding grounds, 

 which are chiefly in the interior of British America. This species 

 is common in the harbor of Charleston during its entire sojourn 

 in this region. A specimen which I obtained on May 12, 1904, 

 was so extraordinarily bleached that it closely resembled an 

 albino. 



11. Gelochelidon nilotica (Hasselq.). Gull-billed Tern. 

 This species is a transient visitant, arriving about the middle of 



April, and is sometimes common up to May 10, but does not 

 breed. It does not frequent the salt marshes while on this coast 

 but prefers the sandy beaches. 



The Gull-billed Tern is a cosmopolitan species and, in North 

 America, formerly bred commonly on the coast of Virginia. 



12. Sterna caspia Pall. Caspian Tern. 



Although the Caspian Tern was apparently unknown to both Au- 

 dubon and Bachman, I have been well acquainted with it for 

 many years, and published the first specific record for the State 

 in 1905. 1 The local name of this great tern on the South Caro- 

 lina coast is "Big Gull." In fact, all the larger terns are 

 called "Big Gulls," while the smaller ones are known as "Little 

 Gulls." 



The Caspian Tern is a permanent resident and breeds in small 

 numbers on "Bird Bank," Bull's Bay. The eggs, which are either 

 one or two in number, are grayish or greenish buff, spotted with 

 chocolate and lilac, and measure 2.70X1.75. Fresh eggs may 



^Auk, XXII, 1905, 395-396. 



