Life History of the Black Skimmer or Scissor-Bill 



Dr. R. W. Shu^eldt 

 Washington, D. C. 



Over forty-five years ago, I enjoyed my first opportunity to 

 study the Black Skimmer in nature; this was on the Bahama 

 Banks and on the various Florida Cays — localities where the bird 

 formerly occurred in enormous numbers. Particularly was this 

 the case in the winter, as during the warmer months of the year, 

 this species extends its migrations northward along our Atlantic 

 coasts to islands off the shores of New Jersey, and possibly strag- 

 glers may even reach somewhat higher latitudes. Audubon, for 

 instance, claims to have seen them to the eastward "as far as the 

 sands of Long Island;" but it is much to be doubted that the 

 Skimmer ever occurs there in these days. I have photographi- 

 cally copied Audubon's plate of this species, and a reproduction of 

 the same is the cover picture of this number of the Nature-Study 

 Review. It gives a very excellent idea of the form and appearance 

 of this truly interesting type, while the description of it by this 

 author is quite unsatisfactory in various respects. For example, 

 he says that the "bill [is] of a rich carmine, inclining to vermilion 

 for about half its length, the rest black;" but nowhere does he 

 state which half is black and which half is of the other color. Again , 

 Audubon says: "Feet of the same colour as the base of the bill;" 

 which, from what has gone before, leaves us in doubt as to whether 

 he means that the feet are black or "rich carmine." Now Wilson, 

 the far more accurate describer of birds, tells us in regard to these 

 points, that the "length of the lower mandible [isj four inches and 

 a half; of the upper, three inches and a half ; both of a scarlet red, 

 tinged with orange, and ending in black; the lower extremity thin ; 

 the upper grooved, so as to receive the edge of the lower ; 

 legs and webbed feet, bright scarlet, formed almost exactly like 

 those of a Tern." 



The plumage of the Skimmer is largely black and white; and 

 Audubon states that, apart from the white, "the rest of the neck 

 and lower parts in spring and summer of a delicate cream-color." 

 This fact is not mentioned by other writers at hand, while Wilson 

 tells us that the "front, passing down the neck below the eye, 

 throat, breast, and whole lower parts, pure white." Surely it 

 would be worth the while were some good describer of the plumage 

 of birds to compare and correct the various statements of these two 



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