28 



THE COLLECTORS' MONTHLY. 



Notes on the Birds of Long 

 Island. 



WITH BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OK EACH SPECIES 



BY W. W. WORTHINGTON. 



{2 j.) 69. Sterna forsteri: 



Forster's Tern. (685.) 



Above light pearl gray. Top of bead 

 and occiput black. Underparts white. 

 Legs and feet scarlet. Outer web of outer 

 tail feathers white. Length 14 inches. 

 Tail 6 inches. 



A notuncommon Autumn visitor. I have 

 several specimens taken on different occa- 

 sions in September, at Ram Island Shoals. 

 One flock observed their contained about 

 twenty individuals. They did not seem 

 to associate with the Common Terns, 

 which were plenty at the time, but kept 

 in a rather compact body by themselves. 

 I have never met with them iu the Spring, 

 and which way the autumn travelars 

 come from I am unable to state. This is 

 about their northern limit along the 

 coast. Their breeding range seems to be 

 west of our meridian, both north and 

 south, and inland. Nests in grassy 

 marshes, using dry grasses reeds, etc. 

 Eggs two or three, greenish, brownish, or 

 white ground, spotted with different 

 shades of brown and lilac, and bout 13-4 

 x 1.1-4 inches. 



(28.) jo Sterna hiruudo: 



Common Tern. (6§6.) 



Above light bluish Pearl. Upper part 

 of head black. Cheeks, throat, under tail 

 coverts, and rump white. Benea,th light 

 pearl gray. Length 14 iu. 



An abundant .summer resident. Breeds 

 in communities like all the Terns, and 

 when one of their breeding places is ap- 

 proached they all rise and hover over- 



head keeping up their loud cries of kee- 

 ar-r-r, kee-ar-r-r\ until the intruders de- 

 part. The nests are simply hollows in 

 the sand, or sea drift, sometimes lined 

 with a little grass. The eggs are three 

 or very rarely four in number, with a 

 light greenish or brownish ground, heavi- 

 ly blotched and spotted with different 

 .shades of brown, blackish, and lilac. The 

 first set is here deposited iu the second 

 week in June. "Egging Parties" how- 

 ever, generally keep the eggs cleaned off 

 from Gull Island, where the species ha,s 

 always bred abundantly,) so that I have 

 taken sets of fresh eggs from there late 

 in July, so as a matter of course the 

 species is not nearly as abunda,ut there 

 as they once were. 



Cones' Key. 



By Elliot Coues, M. A., M. D., Ph. D. 



Fourth and latest edition, — is to well 

 known to need description, being recognized 

 by all leading Ornithologist to be the Stand- 

 ard authority on Orinthology. Profusely il- 

 lustrated, containing over 900 pages, fully 

 indexed by several thousand entries. Sent 

 to any address on receipt of price, $7.50. 



.Address 



C. H. Prince, 



2S1 Main St., Danielsonville, Ct. 



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