248 
THE SANDWICH TERN. 
in great numbers. Never observed in any other part of the coast of Ame- 
rica. Migratory. 
Adult Male. 
Bill longer than the head, slender, tapering, compressed, nearly straight, 
very acute. Upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly arched, the ridge 
rather broad at the base, very narrow towards the tip, the sides sloping at 
the base, slightly convex and nearly perpendicular towards the end, the 
edges sharp and inflected, the tip very acute. Nasal groove extending to a 
little beyond the middle of the bill and deflected towards its edge ; nostrils 
basal, linear, direct, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle very narrow 
and acute, extending nearly to the middle, the dorsal line beyond it straight, 
the sides convex, towards the end more erect, the ridge very narrow, the tip 
extremely acute. 
Head of moderate size, oblong ; neck of moderate length ; body slender. 
Feet very small ; tibia bare for a considerable space ; tarsus very short, 
anteriorly scutellate, laterally and behind reticulated ; toes small, slender, 
the first extremely small, the third longest, the fourth about the same length, 
the second much shorter, all scutellate above, the anterior connected by 
reticulated webs of which the margins are deeply concave. Claws'arched, 
compressed, acute, that of hind toe very small, of middle toe by much the 
largest, and having the inner edge thin and dilated. 
Plumage soft, close, blended, very short on the fore part of the head ; 
the feathers on the occiput and upper part of hind neck pointed and 
elongated. Wings very long, narrow and pointed ; primary quills taper- 
ing, the outer slightly curved inwards at the end, the first longest, the rest 
rapidly graduated ; secondary short, broad, incurved, rounded, the inner 
proportionally longer and narrower. Tail rather long, deeply forked, of 
twelve feathers, the outer tapering to a point. 
Bill black, excepting the tips, which are yellow ; inside of the mouth 
deep blue. Iris brown. Feet black. The upper part of the head, occiput 
and part of hind neck bluish-black. Sides of the head, neck all round, 
and the rest of the lower parts white, the breast frequently tinged with 
pink. The fore part of the back, the scapulars and the upper surface of 
the wings pale greyish-blue ; the tips and the 'greater parts of the inner 
webs^ of the scapulars, and quills, white, as are the rump and the tail ; the 
four outer quills blackish, but covered with light grey down, on the outer 
webs and over a considerable extent of the inner, their shafts white. 
Length to end of tail 151 inches, to end of wings 16 \ ; to end of claws 
12| ; extent of wings 33f ; wing from flexure 121 5 tail 6 ; bill along the 
back 21, along the edge of lower mandible 2f£ ; tarsus 1 T ^ ; middle toe 
,®|, its claw T V Weight 61 oz. 
