Genus STERNA, Linn.

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Gen. Cuar. Bill as long or longer than

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the head, nearly straight
fine point, with both mandibles of equ

al length, and the upper slightly convex;

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rather intracted and sharp-edged ; lower mandible having a prominent
middle part. Nostrils basal, lateral, linear, oblong, pervious.

nate, the first quill-feather the longest.

5 compressed, drawn to a
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angle near its

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Wings very long, acuml-
Tail more or less forked.
naked for a short space above the tarsal jomt. Tarsz
before, one behind;

Legs having the tibia

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short. Feet of four toes, three
the three former united by a membr

hind toe small and free. Claws arched and sharp.

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CASPIAN TERN.

Sterna Caspia, Ge

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L’Hirondelle de Mer Tschegrava.

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Tus large and powerful species is dispersed over the northern shores of Africa,
and all the temperate parts of Europe, where it appears to evince
the wide ocean, and hence we find it most abundant in the
the latter of which it takes its name.
and at no regular or definite periods.

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the eastern portion of Asia,
a partiality to inland seas rather than to
Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas, from
OF its visits to the shores of Great Britain the instances are but few,

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In size this noble bird is not exceeded by any other member of its race: it is even larger th

the Gulls, from which tribe the Terns differ much in their structure, and are moreover destined t
different station in the scheme of creation.

Its food consists of fish, crustacea, mollusca, &c.

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The sexes of the Caspian Tern offer no external difference in the colouring of the plumage, but the crown
of the head, which is white in winter, becomes on the approach of spring of a deep rich and glossy black,
which change is common to both sexes.

The nest is merely a hollow scraped in the sand or shingle; the eggs are four in number, and we have
ourselves received them from the small shingly islands at the mouth of the Baltic, which, from the numerous
specimens we have seen from that locality, we conceive must form one of the stations to which the Caspian
Tern resorts in great numbers for the purpose of breeding: it doubtless also breeds on most of the shores
of the Black and other seas before mentioned.

In summer the forehead, crown of the head, and occiput, are black; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and
tail pearl grey; quills greyish brown; the remainder of the plumage pure white; bill rich vermilion; legs
and feet black.

The young of the year are clouded and transversely barred with marks of brown, much after the manner
of the young of the Sandwich and other European Terns.

The Plate represents a male in summer of the natural size.

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