BLACK TERN. 
SHORT-TAILED TERN. 
Hydrochfj.idon nigra surinamensis. 
Char. Upper parts, deep slate gray ; head, neck, and under parts 
black ; lower tail-coverts white ; bill black ; legs and feet dusky or red- 
dish brown. In winter the black is mostly replaced by white, the crown 
gray. Length about 9% inches. 
Nest. A slight hollow in the muddy soil of a reedy marsh, sometimes 
sparsely lined with grass ; often placed on a platform of floating herbage, 
and then is made of reeds or coarse sedges firmly constructed. 
Eggs. 3; ground color varies from grayish buff to yellowish brown, 
sometimes tinged with olive ; profusely marked with several shades of 
brown and purplish gray ; average size about 1.40 X i-oo. 
This is another aquatic bird common to the northern regions 
of both continents, extending its residence to the limits of the 
Arctic Circle, and breeding in the fur countries of the interior 
upon the borders of lakes and in swamps. It is also very 
common in Holland and in the great marshes of Hungary, and 
has been observed round the salt lakes of Siberia and Tartary. 
