CHAPTER XXXIV 

 ORDER OF LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS 



LONGIPENNES 



THE members of the Order of Gulls and Terns appeal to 

 a greater number of admirers than any other group of 

 web-footed birds. The reasons are: their wide distribution, 

 both on salt water and fresh-water lakes; their conspicuous 

 and graceful jBight; their partial immunity from wholesale 

 slaughter, and their friendliness toward the arch-destroyer, 

 man. Every harbor and every steamer track is a safe feed- 

 ing-ground for these birds, and along thousands of miles of 

 shore line they are the most beautiful wild creatures that 

 greet the eye. 



The three North American Families of this Order are as 



follows : 



Order Longipennes 



EXAMPLES 



Gulls and Terns La'ri-dae Herring Gull; Common Tern. 



Skimmers Ryn-chop'i-dae Black Skimmer. 



Skuas and Jaegers Ster-co-rar-i'i-dae . . . Parasitic Jaeger. 



THE GULLS AND TERNS 



Laridae 



The Herring Gull,^ an old and familiar friend which 

 ranges far inland, and also far outward on the sea, is the best 



^ La'nis ar-gen-ta'tus. Average length, 24 inches. 

 249 



