THE SANDWICH TERN. 89 



in great numbers. Never observed in any other part of the coast of America. 

 Migratory. 



Adult Male. 



Bill longer than the head, slender, tapering, compressed, nearly straight, 

 very acute. Upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly arched, the ridge 

 rather broad at the base, very narrow towards the tip, the sides sloping at 

 the base, slightly convex and nearly perpendicular towards the end, the 

 edges sharp and inflected, the tip very acute. Nasal groove extending to a 

 little beyond the middle of the bill and deflected towards its edge; nostrils 

 basal, linear, direct, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very narrow 

 and acute, extending nearly to the middle, the dorsal line beyond it straight, 

 the sides convex, towards the end more erect, the ridge very narrow, the tip 

 extremely acute. 



Head of moderate size, oblong; neck of moderate length; body slender. 

 Feet very small; tibia bare for a considerable space; tarsus very short, 

 anteriorly scutellate, laterally and behind reticulated; toes small, slender, 

 the first extremely small, the third longest, the fourth about the same length, 

 the second much shorter, all scutellate above, the anterior connected by 

 reticulated webs of which the margins are deeply concave. Claws arched, 

 compressed, acute, that of hind toe very small, of middle toe by much the 

 largest, and having the inner edge thin and dilated. 



Plumage soft, close, blended, very short on the fore part of the head; the 

 feathers on the occiput and upper part of hind neck pointed and elongated. 

 Wings very long, narrow and pointed; primary quills tapering, the outer 

 slightly curved inwards at the end, the first longest, the rest rapidly 

 graduated; secondary short, broad, incurved, rounded, the inner propor- 

 tionally longer and narrower. Tail rather long, deeply forked, of twelve 

 feathers, the outer tapering to a point. 



Bill black, excepting the tips, which are yellow; inside of the mouth deep 

 blue. Iris brown. Feet black. The upper part of the head, occiput and 

 part of hind neck bluish-black. Sides of the head, neck all round, and the 

 rest of the lower parts white, the breast frequently tinged with pink. The 

 fore part of the back, the scapulars and the upper surface of the wings pale 

 greyish-blue; the tips and the greater parts of the inner webs of the scapulars, 

 and quills, white, as are the rump and the tail; the four outer quills blackish, 

 but covered with light grey down, on the outer webs and over a considerable 

 extent of the inner, their shafts white. 



Length to end of tail 15f inches, to end of wings 16^; to end of claws 

 12§; extent of wings 33|; wing from flexure 12?; tail 6; bill along the back 

 2\, along the edge of lower mandible 2{|; tarsus l-j^; middle toe -| f, its claw 

 T V Weight 61 oz, 



Vol, VII. 13 



