MARSH TERN. 
179 
MARSH TERN.— STERNA ARANEA — Plate LXXII. Fig. 6. 
Peale's Museum, No. 3521. 
STERNA ARANEA.— Wilson.* 
Sterna aranea, Bonap. Synop. p. 354. 
This new species I first met with on the shores of Cape 
May, particularly over the salt marshes, and darting down 
* The Pi’ince of Musignano writes the following observations in his iVbmew- 
clature : — 
“ A new species of Wilson, referred by Temminck to a bird whicli he calls 
Sterna Anglica, thinking that it is no other than S. Anglica of Montagu. B^t, 
as Brehm proves,* in his late work, the S. Anglica of Temminck is not the S. 
Anglica of Montagu. To the latter he gives the name of S. risoria, (which 
cannot he adopted,) and he calls the former S. meridionalis. He does not decide 
to which of the two species the American S. aranea belongs, and expresses the 
possibility of its being an independent species ; but seems inclined to believe 
it identical with his S. meridionalis. Whether this bird is the S. Anglica, 
Mont., the S. meridionalis, Brehm, Anglica, Temm., or a distinct species pecu- 
liar to the north and south of this continent, it shall he the object of these ob- 
servations to determine. The specimen deposited by Wilson in the Philadelphia 
Museum (a single glance at which would have enabled us to decide the question) 
being unfortunately destroyed, and Wilson’s figure and description being too un- 
essential to justify any conclusion, we should have been obliged to have left the 
matter unsettled, had it not been for the successful zeal of Mr Titian Peale, whose 
practical knowledge (the most important) of North American birds is equalled 
by none. Their favourite haunts, their note, their flight, are perfectly familiar 
to him. He succeeded in procuring a fine specimen at Long Beach, N. J., 
just as we were in want of one, and thus enabled us to give with more security 
the following opinion, which we had previously formed ; — 
“ S. aranea, Wils., was a nondescript, different from S. Anglica, Mont., but 
the same with S. Anglica, Temm., and S. meridionalis, Brehm, and therefore 
common to both continents. Wilson’s name having the priority, must be exclu- 
sively retained, and Brehm’s name of meridionalis must be rejected. Thus has 
our author here also first named and described an European bird. 
“ Mr Ord was therefore right in not finding himself authorized to change the 
name. He was right in believing Montagu’s bird distinct ; but wrong in think- 
ing Temrainck’s bird different, though Temminck had positively stated the spe- 
