SOOTY TERN. 
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among them. The species is migratory, however, even in 
these mild climates. 
Along the coasts of Georgia and Florida Wilson observed 
these Terns in numerous flocks in the month of July. They 
were very noisy, and darted down headlong after small fish. 
Birds of this species frequently settle on the rigging of ships at 
sea, and, in common with their relatives, are called Noddies by 
the sailors. 
The Sooty Tern occurs regularly north to the Carolinas, and oc- 
casionally wanders to the shores of Massachusetts. It is almost 
exclusively a sea-bird, feeding chiefly upon fish, which it catches by 
swooping to the surface, not by dropping into the water. It rarely 
floats upon the water, but its flight is powerful and rapid. 
