504 RICHARDSON'S JAGER.
Head rather small, oblong, much narrowed before. Neck of moderate
length. Body rather slender. Feet rather short, and of moderate strength;
tibia bare at its lower part; tarsus anteriorly covered with broad decurved
scutella, on the sides with oblong scales, behind with smaller oblong
prominent scales; hind toe extremely small and elevated, the fore toes of
moderate size, connected by reticulated webs, which have their margins
convex ; the third toe longest, the fourth a little shorter, the second considerably
shorter; all covered above with numerous scutella, the lateral
ones margined externally with small prominent scales directed forwards.
Claws of moderate size, curved, acute, compressed, that of third toe with
a sharp inner edge.
The plumage in general is close, elastic, soft, and blended; the feathers
on the back and wings rather compact and distinct. Wings very
long, rather broad, pointed; primary quills tapering and rounded, the
first longest, the rest rapidly graduated; secondary rather short, obliquely
rounded. Tail feathers of moderate length, excepting the two middle,
which extend beyond the rest and taper to a point, the other feathers
broad and rounded, there being twelve in all.
Bill greyish-black, the upper part bluish. Iris brown. Legs and feet
black. The general colour of the plumage is of a sooty brown, the upper
part of the head, the primary quills, and the tail darker, the breast and
abdomen lighter; the shafts of the primary quills white, of the tail feathers
brownish.
Length to end of tail 18^ inches, to end of wings 17 ; extent of wings
40; wing from flexure 1 2 | ; tail 8^, the middle feathers °.f longer than
the rest; bill along the back 1^, along the edge of lower mandible If ;
tarsus l i 8
2 ; middle toe 1 5
, its claw 4
.
T
? T
gYoung Bird in September. Plate CCLXXII. Fig. 2.
Bill light blue, dusky at the end. Iris brown. Tarsi and basal portion
of the toes and webs light blue, the rest black. The general colour
of the plumage is sooty brown, lighter on the neck and lower parts ; the
feathers of the back are all tipped with whitish, and the breast, sides, lower
wing-coverts, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts, are undulatingly barred
with pale greyish-yellow.
Length to end of tail 15£ inches, to end of wings 13*, to end of claws
13^ ; wing from flexure 11 £ ; tail 61, the middle feathers only f longer
than the rest; bill along the back 1{ ; tarsus 1£ ; middle toe and claw
1£. Weight 7 oz.
( 505 )
T H E C A Y E N N E T E R N.
STERNA CAY A N A , LATH.
PLATE CCLXXIII. MALE.
ON reaching the entrance of the little port of St Augustine in East
Florida, I observed more Cayenne Terns together than I had ever before
seen. I had afterwards good opportunities of watching them both during
that season and the following, about the Keys. Their shyness surprised
me not a little, especially as they are very seldom molested, and it was
such that I could study their habits only with the aid of a good glass. I
found them at first in great flocks, composed of several hundred individuals,
along with Razor-billed Shearwaters, which also congregated there in
great numbers. During low water, both species resorted to a large flat
sand-bar in the middle of the channel, where they reposed until the return
of the tide, sitting close together, in an easy posture, with their heads
facing the breeze. They kept separate, however, placing themselves in
parallel lines twenty or thirty paces asunder, and either lay flat on the
sand, or stood up and plumed themselves. My attempts to procure some
of them were always futile, for they flew off when I was yet several hundred
yards distant, and moved directly towards the sea. It was pleasing to
see the whole of these birds take to wing at the same moment, the jetty
hue of the Shearwaters contrasting with the pale blue of the Terns, and
the brilliantly-coloured bills of both species, their different modes of
flight, and their various evolutions presenting a most agreeable sight. The
Terns on these occasions constantly emitted their harsh loud cries, while
the Shearwaters moved in perfect silence. After spending several days
in unsuccessful endeavours to approach them, I employed several boats,
which advanced towards the sands at several points, and we shot as many
as we wished, for as the flocks passed over any of the boats, several individuals
were brought down at once, on which the rest would assail the
gunners, as if determined to rescue their brethren, and thus afford subjects
for them on which to exercise their skill. We found it necessary to
use large shot, the Cayenne Tern being a strong and tough bird, the largest
of the genus met with on our Atlantic coasts. When wounded, however
slightly, they disgorged in the manner of Vultures; and when brought