THE BIRD BOOK 
[ 7t>- ] Bridled Tern. Sterna anaetheta. 
Range. — Pound in tropical regions of both hem- 
ispheres; casual or accidental in Florida. This 
Tern is similar to the last except that the nape 
is white and the white of the forehead extends 
in a line over the eye. The Bridled Tern is com- 
mon on some of the islands of the West Indies 
and the Bahamas, nesting in company with the 
Creamy white 
Sooty Terns and Noddies. The single egg is laid 
on the seashore or among the rocks. It is creamy 
white beautifully marked with brown and lilac. 
Size 1.85 x 1.25. Data. — Bahamas, May 9, 1892. 
Single egg laid in a cavity among the rocks. Col- 
lector, D. P. Ingraham. 
77. Black Tern. Hydrochelidon nigra 
surinamensis. 
Range. — Temperate America, breeding from the 
middle portions of the United States northward 
to Alaska; south in winter beyond the United 
States Border. 
The identity of these Terns cannot be mistaken 
They are but ten inches in length; the whole head, neck and under parts are 
black; the back, wings and tail are slaty and the under tail coverts are white. 
Their dainty figure with their long slender wings gives them a grace and airi- 
ness, if possible, superior to other species of the family. They are very active 
and besides feeding upon all manner of marine 
Crustacea, they capture many insects in the air. 
They nest in large colonies in marshes, both along 
the coast and in the interior, making a nest of 
decayed reeds and grasses, or often laying their 
eggs upon rafts of decayed vegetation which are 
floating on he water. The nesting season com- 
mences in May, they laying three eggs of a brown- 
ish or greenish color, very heavily blotched with 
blackish brown. Size 1.35 x .95. Data. — Winne- 
bago City, Minn., May 31, 1901. Three eggs. Nest 
made of a mass of weeds and rushes floating on 
water in a swamp. Collector, R. H. Bullis. 
Black Tern 
Noddy 
Black Skimmer 
56 
