GULLS AND TERNS 
29 
Mr. Loomis has found the royal tern decidedly common at times 
during the winter at Monterey, and Mr. Grinnell reports it as very 
numerous around Catalina Island in winter, and more or less com¬ 
mon along the coast throughout the year. 
66. Sterna elegans Gamb. Elegant Tern. 
Like < S. maxima , but smaller, with longer crest, and under parts deeply 
tinged with rose pink. Length: 1G-17, wing 12.40-12.50, bill 2.25-2.55, 
tail 0.60-7.30, forked for about 2.60-3.50. 
Distribution. — Pacific coast of middle America, and north to San 
Francisco. 
Mr. Loomis has found the elegant terns at Monterey in autumn, 
but in smaller numbers than the royal tern. 
Subgenus Sterna. 
69. Sterna forsteri Nutt. Forster Tern. 
Outer tail feathers very narrow and long. Adults in summer: under 
parts white ; upper parts light pearl gray, top of head black ; outer web of 
outer tail feather white; feet orange red, bill dull orange, dusky at tip. 
Adults in winter: top of head white, back of head tinged with gray, a 
dusky stripe around eye and across ear coverts; bill and feet duller 
colored. Young: upper parts, crown, and sides of head washed with brown¬ 
ish ; tail feathers dusky toward ends. Length: 14-15, wing 9.50-10.30, 
bill 1.50-1.65, tail 5.00-7.70, forked for 2.30-5.00. 
Distribution. — Breeds in the United States north to Manitoba, south in 
winter to Brazil. 
Nest. — A hollow in the sand lined with grasses, or a rude nest in marsh 
grass or on raft of floating tule stems. Eggs: 1 to 3, bluish green to 
olive buff, marked with lilac and brown. 
Low over the lakes, sloughs, and big tule marshes, you see these 
graceful terns beating the air with long, soft strokes of their narrow 
wings, while the sharp bill points downward, and the eyes are 
intent on the surface of the water. If a minnow shows so much as 
a fin, there is a quick dive, a splash, and a gulp — the minnow has 
disappeared and the tern is beating over the water again, now skim¬ 
ming close to the surface, now lighting daintily on it to pick up 
some choice morsel. Sometimes a large number of terns are‘at¬ 
tracted by a school of minnows, and an animated diving and splash¬ 
ing ensues. Enter the terns’ breeding grounds, or wound one of their 
number, and the airy creatures, all soft silent grace before, storm 
about you with threatening swoops and harsh, piercing screams. 
Vernon Bailey. 
70. Sterna hirundo Linn. Common Tern. 
Outer web of outer tail feather dusky, inner web white. Adults in sum¬ 
mer : bill and feet bright orange red, the bill tipped with black ; top of 
head black; mantle light pearl gray; tail and its coverts mainly white; 
throat white, breast light gray. Adults in winter: crown mainly white ; 
under parts pure white; bill and feet duller. Young: marked with 
