Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/689

 TERN 659 by the natives and even by Europeans, who roast them in the manner of coffee. (See " In- sect Architecture," by James Rennie, in the " Library of Entertaining Knowledge," Lon- don, 1830-'31).-r There are other species in tropical Asia, and even two or three in south- ern Europe. In the United States a represen- tative species, the T. frontalis (Haldeman), has been noticed at Salem, Mass., where it did con- siderable mischief in greenhouses and graperies, not only attacking decaying and dead wood, but also excavating the roots of living vines and causing their destruction. (See "Pro- ceedings of the Boston Society of Natural His- tory," vol. vii., pp. 287, 288, May 2, 1860.) TERN, the proper name of the birds of the gull family and subfamily sternina, among which is included the noddy, previously de- scribed. The terns have a rather long, usually slender, nearly straight, and sharp-pointed'bill ; wings elongated, with long and pointed prima- ries ; tail long, and in most species forked ; tar- si slender, anterior toes with a deeply notched web, hind toe small, and the claws curved and sharp. They are found on and near the sea shore, and sometimes on inland lakes and riv- ers, most of the time hovering with rapid and easy flight over sandy bars and shallows, dart- ing suddenly upon small fishes and crustaceans ; they are often seen swimming and resting on the water, but never diving ; from their forked tail, small size, and swift and graceful flight, they are popularly called sea swallows. In the typical genus sterna (Linn.) the upper mandible is slightly curved, with the frontal feathers extending to the nostrils; the outer quill is the longest. It contains more than 60 species, in both hemispheres, migrating in bands from place to place according to sea- son ; the eggs are two to four, usually deposit- ed in a slight hollow in the sand on rocks sur- rounded by the sea ; the hatching is left most- ly to the sun, the females sitting only at night and in cold weather ; the young are carefully fed and bravely defended. The largest spe- cies is the Caspian tern (S. Caspia, Pall.), 21 in. long, 51 in. in alar extent, with a very stout bill of 3 in. ; the back and wings are pale bluish ash, the upper parts of the head black with a greenish gloss, the quill shafts and the under plumage pure white, the bill ver- milion, and the legs and feet black ; the tail is not much forked ; the young are mottled above with blackish brown. It is found in the United States from the coast of New Jersey northward, and all over Europe, in the vicinity of the Caspian sea (where it was first found and described by Pallas), and also in Africa. The eggs, as in most of the terns, are yellowish stone-colored, with ash-gray and dark reddish brown spots ; they are 2 by If in. The Cay- enne or royal tern (S. Cayana, Bonap.) is 21 in. long and 49 in. in alar extent, with a deep red bill of 2f in. ; the mantle is bluish gray, lower parts white, legs and feet black, and the tail forked. It is found on the Atlantic coast from Labrador to Florida, being abundant about the southern keys; it also occurs in California. It is very shy, and utters loud and harsh cries during flight ; when any are killed Cayenne Tern (Sterna Cayana). out of a flock, the rest dart toward the gunner ; when wounded they eject the contents of the stomach, and bite severely ; the eggs are 2f by If- in., and like those of the other species afford good eating ; the flesh is very'oily. The sooty tern (S. fuliginosa, Gmel.) is 16 in. long and 35 in. in alar extent; bill If in. and black, as are the legs and feet ; it is deep black above, the forehead and lower parts white ; tail deeply forked, black, with the outer and basal half of the inner web of the outside feathers white. It is found in the gulf states from Texas to Florida, arriving from the south in May and departing by the beginning of August ; it rare- ly alights on the water, where it would be in- commoded by its long tail ; it feeds principally on fish, which it seizes by a sweeping curve ; the cries are very loud when the breeding places are disturbed ; the eggs are three in number, 2 by H i D - an< i m former times were the source of a considerable trade with Havana. Wilson's tern (S. Wilsoni, Bonap.) is 15 in. long, with an alar extent of 32 in. ; the bill is If in., slender, coral red, black near the end with a yellow tip ; mantle light grayish blue ; upper part of head and neck deep black ; be- neath pearl-gray ; tail deeply forked, with the outer web of lateral feather blackish gray; legs and feet coral red. It is found from Texas to Labrador, and on the coast of Massachusetts goes by the name of mackerel gull, from the supposition that it announces the arrival of this fish in its summer quarters; it formerly bred on Egg Rock near Nahant, and was very abundant in summer on Nantasket beach ; the eggs are three, If by 1^- in. Its European representative is flie common sea swallow (S. hirundo, Linn.), spread over Europe and Afri- ca; it is 14i in. long, and the eggs If by 1 jn. The arctic tern (S. macrura, Naum.) is 14 in. long, and 32 in. in extent of wings; the bill 1 in., slender, and deep carmine ; mantle light grayish blue, and under parts plumbeous gray ; tail very deeply forked ; legs and feet crimson. It is found from the coast of New England to the arctic seas and the fur countries, also