Part 152

Adult, 9, 24. Young, in autumn, 7-3/4; wing, 9-8/12.

Arrives in Texas from the south early in spring, proceeds along the coast to the Mississippi, then ascends that river and its tributaries, breeding around ponds, or along the streams; and even advances to the Fur Countries, where it also breeds. Abundant. Migratory. Occasionally along the coasts of the Middle Atlantic Districts.

Sterna nigra, Bonap. Syn. p. 355.

Sterna nigra, Black Tern, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 415.

Black Tern or Stern, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 282.

Black Tern, Sterna nigra, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 593; v. v. p. 642.

439. 11. Sterna minuta, Linn. Least Tern.

Plate CCCXIX. Adult and Young.

Bill about the length of the head, slender, yellowish-orange, with the tips black, but the extreme points horn-colour; feet light orange-red; wings an inch or more longer than the tail, which is deeply forked; on the forehead a triangular white patch, extending to over the middle of the eye; upper part of head and nape, and loral space, deep black; sides of head, fore neck, and lower parts pure white; back and wings very pale bluish-grey; first two quills with the outer web greyish-black, and rather less than half of their inner web of the same colour, the rest white, extending to about half an inch from their extremities; tail white in summer, of a paler tint than the back at other times. Young, when fledged, with the bill greenish-black, all the lower parts dull greyish-white, as are the upper, including the tail, the hind part of the head streaked with dusky, on the back and rump the feathers with a curved marginal band of greyish-brown; primary quills greyish-brown, the outer two darker; tail even, each feather narrowly margined with greyish-white.

Adult, 8-3/4, 18-3/4.

Breeds from Galveston along the shores to Labrador. Not mentioned as found in the Fur Countries. Returns southward, and passes beyond Texas in autumn. Extremely abundant at times on the Great Lakes, as well as the Ohio and Mississippi.

Least Tern, Sterna minuta, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 80.

Sterna minuta, Bonap. Syn. p. 355.

Silvery Tern, Sterna argentea, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 280.

Least Tern, Sterna minuta, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 175.

* Tail graduated.

440. 12. Sterna stolida, Linn. Noddy Tern.

Plate CCLXXV. Male.

Bill a little longer than the head, rather slender, a little decurved, black; tail cuneate; general colour of plumage sooty-brown; primaries and tail-feathers brownish-black; upper part of head greyish-white; a black spot anterior to and over the eye.

Male, 16-4/12, 32.

Abundant on the Gulf of Mexico during the whole year. Breeds in vast multitudes on the Tortugas Keys.

Sterna stolida, Bonap. Syn. p. 356.

Noddy, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 285.

Noddy Tern, Sterna stolida, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 516; v. v. p. 642.

GENUS III. LARUS, Linn. GULL.

Bill shorter than the head, nearly straight, moderately stout, compressed; upper mandible with its dorsal outline straight to the middle, then decurved, the ridge convex, the sides rapidly sloping, the edges sharp and direct, the tip rather obtuse; nasal groove rather long and narrow; nostrils submedial, longitudinal, linear-oblong, broader anteriorly; lower mandible, with the angle long and pointed, the outline of its crura decurved anteriorly, that of the ridge slightly concave and ascending, the sides erect, the edge-line decurved toward the tip, which is narrow but obtuse. Head of moderate size, broadly ovate; neck of ordinary length; body compact. Feet rather long or of moderate length, rather stout; tibia bare at the lower part; tarsus moderately compressed, with numerous curved anterior scutella, and smaller behind; toes slender, of moderate length, scutellate; first very small, third a little longer than fourth. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather blunt. Plumage close, soft, blended, on the back and wings rather compact. Wings very long, pointed; first and second quills longest; secondaries broad, the inner more elongated. Tail of moderate length, generally even, rarely rounded or emarginate, of twelve feathers. In those which have the head white in summer, it is streaked with dusky in winter; and those which are hooded in summer, have the head white and slightly streaked in winter.

* Tail emarginate.

441. 1. Larus Sabini, Sabine. Fork-tailed Gull.