BIRDS-— STERNINAE—STERNA PIKEI. 
863 
Sp. Ch.— Adult. Upper part, and sides of the head to a line just below the eye, and hind neck, black ; back and^wings bluish 
gray ; primaries grayish white on the outer webs, and dusky gray on the inner next the shaft, and over the entire web at the 
end, darker on the inner margin, the remaining portion of inner webs white ; tail bluish gray, except the outer web of the 
outer tail feather which is white, the inner web of this feather blackish gray for about two inches from the end ; rump white 
with a slight tinge of pale bluish gray ; sides of the head, throat, and entire under surface, white; in the dried specimens the bill 
is orange yellow at the base, black near the end, with the tip pale yellow ; legs and feet scarlet. 
Length of skin 14 inches ; wing, 10i ; tail, 6 ; bill, 1| ; tarsus, -J. 
Hab. —Louisiana to Florida ; New York, fur countries, and California. 
Three specimens are in the collection. 
It is distinguished from S. wilsoni hy having the outer web of the exterior tail feather white, 
and the end of the inner web dusky gray, the reverse of icilsoni; the tarsi are also uniformly 
longer, as in five specimens now before me. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When 
collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Coast New York_ 
Cab. of G. N. Lawrence_ 
1010 
13. 00 
29. 25 
9. 75 
4928 
0 
St. John’s river, Fla_ 
G. Wiirdemann_ 
13. 00 
10. 25 
4317 
Calcasieu Pass, La_ 
1854 
_do_ 
14.00 
10. 50 
9973 
Sacramento valley_ 
Lieut. Williamson__ 
California_ 
Cab. G. N. Lawrence_ 
1009 
STERNA PARADISEA, Brunnich. 
The Roseate Tern, 
Sterna paradisea, Brunn. Orn. Bor 1764, 46. 
Sterna dougallii, Nutt. Man. II, 1834, 278. —Aud. Orn. Biog. Ill, 1835, 296. — Ib. Birds. Am. VII, 1844, 112 ; pi. 
ccccxxxvii. 
Sp. Ch. — Adult. Upper part of the head and long occipital feathers deep black ; hind neck white ; back and wings pale bluish 
gray ; first primary blackish gray on the outer web and on the inner next the shaft; the other primaries bluish gray, the second 
and third dusky gray near the shaft; all the primaries white on the inner part of their inner webs ; secondaries and tertiaries 
edged with white ; tail very light pearl gray ; entire under plumage white, with a beautiful roseate tinge ; bill brownish black, 
orange at the base ; iris brown ; legs and feet vermilion. 
Length, 16 inches ; wing, 9| ; tail, 8 ; bill, li ; tarsus, 13-16. 
Hab. —Florida to New York. 
Specimens in my cabinet and that of Prof. Baird. 
STERNA PIKEI, Lawrence. 
Tire Slender-billed Tern. 
Sterna pikei, Lawk. Annals N. Y. Lyceum, VII, 1853, 3. 
Sp. Ch.— Adult. Front white speckled with dark gray ; crown and occiput black ; back and wings bluish gray ; smaller 
wing coverts dark plumbeous ; outer web of the first primary brownish black, inner web next the shaft dusky gray, with the 
inner margin white ; the other primaries are dark bluish gray on the outer webs and on the inner next the shaft, also at the end 
of the inner web ; inner webs of all the tail feathers white, the outer webs of the long lateral tail feathers grayish black with 
the tip white, outer webs of the others very pale gray ; throat, upper tail coverts and whole under plumage, white ; bill dark 
brown tinged with dark red (probably deep carmine in the living bird) ; legs and feet orange. 
Length, 13 inches ; wing, 9 ; tail, 5| ; bill, 1^ ; tarsus, g. 
Hab. —Coast of California. 
One specimen in my cabinet. 
