feathers of the latter which are white;
the forehead and under parts are white, the crown and a line from the
eye to the bill, black. This tropical species is very numerous at its
breeding grounds on the small islands of the Florida Keys and the West
Indies. They lay but a single egg, generally placing it on the bare
ground, or occasionally building a frail nest of grasses. The egg has a
pinkish white or creamy ground and is beautifully sprinkled with spots
of reddish brown and lilac. They are laid during May. Size 2.05 x 1.45.
Data.--Clutheria Key, Bahamas, May 28, 1891. Single egg laid on bare
ground near water. Collector, D. P. Ingraham.

[Illustration 057: Light buff.]
[Illustration: Least Tern. Sooty Tern.]
[Illustration: Creamy white.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]

Page 56

76. BRIDLED TERN. _Sterna anaetheta._

Range.--Found in tropical regions of both hemispheres; casual or
accidental in Florida. This Tern is similar to the last except that the
nape is white and the white of the forehead extends in a line over the
eye. The Bridled Tern is common on some of the islands of the West
Indies and the Bahamas, nesting in company with the Sooty Terns and
Noddies. The single egg is laid on the seashore or among the rocks. It
is creamy white beautifully marked with brown and lilac. Size 1.85 x
1.25. Data.--Bahamas, May 9, 1892. Single egg laid in a cavity among the
rocks. Collector, D. P. Ingraham.

77. BLACK TERN. _Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis._

Range.--Temperate America, breeding from the middle portions of the
United States northward to Alaska; south in winter beyond the United
States Border.

The identity of these Terns cannot be mistaken. They are but ten inches
in length; the whole head, neck and under parts are black; the back,
wings and tail are slaty and the under tail coverts are white. Their
dainty figure with their long slender wings gives them a grace and
airiness, if possible, superior to other species of the family. They are
very active and besides feeding upon all manner of marine crustacea,
they capture many insects in the air. They nest in large colonies in
marshes, both along the coast and in the interior, making a nest of
decayed reeds and grasses, or often laying their eggs upon rafts of
decayed vegetation which are floating on the water. The nesting season
commences in May, they laying three eggs of a brownish or greenish
color, very heavily blotched with blackish brown. Size 1.