OF VIRGINIA z) 
SUBFAMILY STERNIN/ZE.—TERNS. 
-GENUS GELOCHELIDON. 
[63]. Gelochelidon nilotica (Linneus). Gull-billed 
Tern. 
[Marsh Tern]. 
Raxcu.—Nearly cosmopolitan. Breeds in North 
America on the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, North Caro- 
lina, Virginia (formerly to New Jersev), and in the 
Bahamas; wanders casually to Maine and Ohio; winters 
in southern Mexico, southern Guatemala, and from Brazil 
south to Patagonia and Chile. Breeds also in Europe, 
Asia, and Australia, and winters south to northern 
Africa. 
This is now one of our most rare breeding sea-birds, 
though it was formerly verv abundant and bred in large 
numbers on the coastal islands. There is probably not 
over a dozen pair now breeding along our entire coast 
line, where hundreds formerly bred in colonies on Linnen 
Bar, Wreck, Bone, Cobb’s, Pig, and Hog islands. I 
attribute their decrease to the same causes that annihilated 
the Least Tern on our coast, the unsportsmanlike spring 
gunner, and the millinery trade demand for their plumage. 
The nest location of the few remaining pair has changed 
from the inner side of the island sand dunes and marsh 
edges, to the open beach, but now well concealed amongst 
the oyster shells, rocks, and pebbles, not an unsimilar loca- 
tion from that of the Oystercatcher. This location makes 
