TERNS 29 



breeding in abundance on the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, 

 it does not nest on the Alabama islands. Capt. W. M. Sprinkle 

 states, however, that it bred on Pelican Island, at the mouth 

 of Mobile Bay prior to 1893, when the island washed away. 



A large flock was seen at the west point of Dauphin Island, 

 February 13, and again March 22, 1912. Peters noted about 

 200 on Dauphin and Petit Bois Islands early in June, 1914, 

 and Holt found the birds common there the last week in July. 

 At Point Clear, July 13, 1913, I saw about 30 royal terns 

 sitting on piles near the shore, and the next morning, about 

 6 :30, as I sailed down the harbor below Mobile, I met nearly 

 a hundred coming up toward the city with laughing gulls. 

 Four or five birds were seen, December 6, 1916, feeding in 

 Spanish River, at the head of Mobile Bay. 



General habits. — These terns, either in flight or at rest, are 

 most graceful and attractive. They travel usually in small, 

 or sometimes large, flocks, feeding in the bays and tidal 

 rivers, and to some extent in the surf. A large flock was 

 observed in February, 1912, at the west point of Dauphin 

 Island, feeding where the surf breaks over the bar; later the 

 same day the birds lined up on the beach in close ranks to 

 rest. They dive for their prey from a height of 15 or 20 feet, 

 striking the water with great force and partly disappearing 

 beneath the surface. They are usually shy and generally fly 

 rather high, but when one of their number is wounded, the 

 rest of the flock at once fly close over the wounded bird in 

 response to its cries. In the harbors the royal terns are much 

 tamer than those living about the outer islands. 



Food habits. — The food of the royal tern consists largely 

 of fishes (97 per cent) and a small quantity (3 per cent) of 

 crustaceans. The fishes found in the stomachs were yellow 

 perch, bluefish, and menhaden, the last constituting 65 per 

 cent of the total.* 



CABOT TE'RN: Thalasseus sandvicensis acuflavidus 



(Cabot) .f 



State records. — The Cabot tern occurs as a rather uncom- 

 mon summer visitor on Dauphin and Petit Bois Islands. 



*McAtee. W. L., Farmers' Bull. 497, U. S. Dept. Agr., p. 20, Eepr. 1917. 

 tSterna sandvicensis acnflavida oi the A. O. U. Check-list; for change of name, see 

 The Auk, vol. 34, p. 199, 1917. 



