The Bird Book Part 7

60. BONAPARTE'S GULL. _Larus philadelphia._

Range.--Breeds in the northern parts of North America; winters from Maine and British Columbia to the southern border of the United States.

Smaller than the last; 14 inches long. Plumage similar, but bill slender and black. They nest in great numbers on the marshes of Manitoba and to the northward. The nests, of sticks and gra.s.s, are placed on the higher parts of the marsh and the usual complement of three eggs is laid during the latter part of June. The eggs are grayish to greenish brown, marked with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.90 1.30.

[Ill.u.s.tration 050: Grayish brown.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Franklin's Gull. Bonaparte's Gull.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Pale grayish brown.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: left hand margin.]

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60.1. LITTLE GULL. _Larus minutus._

This Gull is the smallest of the family; it is a European bird, and has accidentally strayed to our sh.o.r.es but a few times. Its plumage is similar to that of the Bonaparte Gull but the bill is red. It breeds in the marshes around the Baltic Sea, placing its nest of dead vegetation on the highest parts of the marsh. They lay three eggs of a greenish gray color marked with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.75 1.25.

61. ROSES GULL. _Rhodostethia rosea._

Range.--The Arctic regions, south in winter to Alaska, Greenland, northern Europe and Asia.

This beautiful bird is the most rare of all the Gulls, being very difficult to obtain because of its extreme northerly distribution. It is in form and plumage like Bonaparte Gull, with the exceptions that the head is white, there being a narrow black collar around the neck, the tail is wedge shaped, and the whole under parts from the chin to the tail are rosy in the breeding plumage. The nests and eggs remain still undiscovered, although Nansen, in August 1896, found a supposed breeding ground in Franz Josef Land, because of the numbers of the birds, but found no nests.

62. SABINE'S GULL. _Xema sabinii._

Range.--Arctic regions, breeding from Alaska and Greenland and northward, and wintering south to New England.

A handsome bird, having the slaty hood bordered behind with a black ring, the primaries black, white tipped, and the tail slightly forked.

They breed abundantly on the marshes of northern Alaska and Greenland, nesting the same as others of the species. The two or three eggs are laid in June. They are greenish brown in color and are marked with dark brown. Size 1.75 1.25. Data.--Hudson Bay, August 1, 1894. Eggs laid on the ground in the moss; no nest except the hollow in the moss.

[Ill.u.s.tration 051: Rose Gull. Sabine Gull.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Greenish brown.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: deco.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: right hand margin.]

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63. GULL-BILLED TERN. _Gelochelidon nilotica._

Range.--Found in North America along the Gulf Coast and on the Atlantic Coast north to Virginia and casually farther.

This is one of the largest of the Terns, is 14 inches long, has a short, thick, black bill and a short slightly forked tail; the crown is black, mantle pearly gray, white below. This species is very widely distributed, being found in Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. They are known locally as "Marsh Terns" where they breed in immense numbers on some of the marshes about the Gulf, particularly in Texas. They also breed on many of the islands along the Coast, rarely making any nest, but laying the eggs in a hollow in the sand. They nest most abundantly in the latter part of May, generally laying three eggs. They are of a yellowish, grayish or greenish buff color and are spotted with brown and lilac. Size 1.80 1.30. Data.--Northampton Co., Va., May 28, 1882.

Three eggs laid on a ma.s.s of seaweed on marsh above tide water.

64. CASPIAN TERN. _Sterna caspia._

Range.--Like the preceding species, this bird is nearly cosmopolitan in its range, in North America breeding from the Gulf Coast and Texas northward to the Arctic Regions.

This beautiful bird is the largest of the Tern family, being about 22 inches in length, with the tail forked about 1.5 inches. The bill is large, heavy and bright red; the crest, with which this and the next three species are adorned, is black. The mantle is pale pearl and the under parts white. These Terns sometimes nest in large colonies and then again only a few pairs will be found on an island. In Texas, the breeding season commences in May, it being later in the more northern breeding grounds. They may be regarded as largely eastern birds, as while they are common in the interior of the country, they are rarely found on the Pacific Coast. Two or three eggs const.i.tute a complete set; these are laid on the sand in a slight hollow scooped out by the birds.

They vary from gray to greenish buff, marked with brown and lilac. Size 2.60 1.75. Data.--Hat Island, Lake Michigan, July 1, 1896. No nest.

Two eggs in a hollow in the gravel. Fully a thousand terns nesting on about one acre. Collector, Charles L. Ca.s.s.

[Ill.u.s.tration 052: Pale greenish buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Grayish buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: left hand margin.]

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65. ROYAL TERN. _Sterna maxima._

Range.--Temperate North and South America, breeding in the United States locally from Texas and the Gulf States northward to the northern boundary of the United States.

The Royal Terns nest in great numbers on the coasts and islands on the South Atlantic and Gulf States and in the marshes of southern Texas.

Like the former species they lay two or three eggs in a hollow on the bare sand. The eggs are the same size but differ in being more pointed and having a lighter ground and with the markings more bold and distinct. Size 2.60 1.70.

66. ELEGANT TERN. _Sterna elegans._

Range.--Pacific Coast of South and Central America; north to California in summer.

A similar bird to the Royal Tern, but easily distinguished by its smaller size, slender bill, and more graceful form. In the breeding plumage the under parts of these Terns are tinged with rosy, which probably first gave the birds their name. They breed on the coasts and islands of Mexico and Central America, placing their eggs on the sand.

They are believed to lay but a single egg, like that of the Royal Tern, but smaller. Size 2.40 1.40. Data.--Honduras, Central America, June 5, 1899. Single egg laid on the sandy beach.

[Ill.u.s.tration 053: Gull-billed Tern. Caspian Tern. Royal Tern.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Grayish buff.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cream color.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: right hand margin.]

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67. CABOT TERN. _Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida._

Range.--A tropical species breeding regularly north to the Bahamas and Florida; casually farther north. A beautiful bird distinguished from the three preceding ones by its smaller size (sixteen inches) and by the bill which is black with a yellow tip. They nest in colonies on the sh.o.r.es of islands in the West Indies and Bahamas, but not to a great extent on the United States Coast. Their two or three eggs have a creamy ground color, and are boldly marked with brown and black. Size 2.10 1.40.

68. TRUDEAU'S TERN. _Sterna trudeaui._

Range.--South America; accidentally along the coast of the United States.

A rare and unique species with a form similar to the following, but with the coloration entirely different. About fifteen inches in length; tail long and deeply forked; bill yellow with a band of black about the middle. Whole head pure white, shading into the pearly color of the upper and under parts. A narrow band of black through the eye and over the ear coverts. A very rare species that is supposed to breed in southern South America. Given a place among North American birds on the strength of a specimen seen by Audubon off Long Island.

[Ill.u.s.tration 054: Elegant Tern. Cabot's Tern.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cream color.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: left hand margin.]

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