228 
SWIMMERS. 
and ranging over inland waters as well as on the sea. It has been 
found breeding on Cobb’s Island, Virginia, but along the New Eng- 
land shores it is seen in the spring and autumn chiefly, indicating a 
Northern nesting ground, though few specimens have been taken in 
the Arctic regions. It is said that nests have been taken on the 
shores of Texas, which would give the bird an extensive breeding 
area, though the nesting sites are in widely separated localities. 
It might almost be said of this bird that it ranges over the entire 
globe, and breeds throughout its range. 
The cry of the bird is loud and harsh, resembling the syllables 
kay-owk, or key-rakj though when a nesting site is menaced, or a 
pair meets in contention for a coveted mouthful, the cry is reduced 
to a sharp kok, or kak, or kowk. 
The Caspian Tern preys chiefly on fish ; but several naturalists 
have reported finding the remains of eggs and young birds in its 
stomach. 
Note. — A few examples of Trudeau’s Tern { Stci^mx iKudetiut )-, 
a South American species, have wandered north as far as Long 
Island; and the Bridled Tern (5. ancsthems), also a tropical 
bird, has been taken off the coast of Florida. 
SOOTY TERN. 
Sterna fuliuinosa. 
Char. Upper parts sooty black; forehead, outer tail-feathers, and 
under parts white; bill, legs, and feet, deep black. Length about i6 
inches. 
A'est. A slight hollow' in the sand of an open sea-beach; sometimes 
amid the thicket of herbage bordering the beach. 
'-3 (usually i) ; white to pale buff, spotted with reddish brown 
and lilac; average size 2.00 X 1.40. 
These Terns generally inhabit the tropical seas, being widely 
dispersed into either hemisphere. On the Isle of Ascension 
they breed in swarms. The flocks which possess the various 
parts of the island, perpetually breeding, in this mild latitude 
were found laying at different times. In some places the 
young were hatched and grown, in others newly laid eggs 
were seen. They uttered a sharp and shrill cry, and were so 
fearless of the men who visited the island as to fly almost 
