254 
THE SOOTY TERN. 
dozen ; but wherever these eggs are carried, they must soon be disposed 
of and eaten, for they become putrid in a few weeks. 
On referring to my journals once more, I find the following remarks with 
reference to the Sooty Tern. It would appear that at some period not very 
remote, the Noddy, Sterna stolida , must have had it in contemplation to 
appropriate to itself its neighbour’s domains ; as on examination of this 
island, several thousand nests of that bird were found built on the tops of 
the bushes, although no birds of the species were about them. It is there- 
fore probable that if such an attempt was made by them, they were defeated 
and forced to confine themselves to the neighbouring island, where they 
breed by themselves, although it is only a few miles distant. That such 
interferences and conflicts now and then occur among different species of 
birds, has often been observed by other persons, and in several instances 
by myself, particularly among Herons. In these cases, right or wrong, the 
stronger party never fails to dislodge the weaker, and keep possession of 
the disputed ground. 
Sterna fuliginosa, Bonap. Syn., p. 355. 
Sooty Tern, Sterna fuliginosa , Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. viii. p. 145. 
Sooty Tern, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 284. 
Sooty Tern, Sterna fuliginosa, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iii. p. 263 ; vol. v. p. 641. 
Male, 16J, 34t. 
From Texas to the Floridas, in spring. Breeds in immense multitudes 
on the Tortugas. Migratory. 
Adult Male. 
Bill longer than the head, strong, slender, nearly straight, compressed, 
very acute. Upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly arched, the ridge 
broad and convex at the base, narrowed towards the end, the sides convex, 
the edges sharp and inflected, the tip acute. Nasal groove extended to 
beyond half the length of the bill, slightly inflected towards the edge ; 
nostrils basal, linear, direct, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle 
very narrow, acute, extending to a little beyond the middle, the dorsal line 
straight, the sides convex, the sharp edges inflected, the tip very acute. 
Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed ; neck of moderate length ; 
body slender ; feet very small, wings and tail very long. Tibia bare for a 
short space ; tarsus very short, slender, roundish, covered anteriorly with 
small scutella, laterally and behind with reticulated rather indistinct scales ; 
toes small, slender, the first very small, the third longest, the fourth nearly 
as long, the second much shorter, all scutellate above, the anterior united by 
reticulated webs, having an incurved margin ; claws curved, compressed, 
