File:Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of (14563009730).jpg

Identifier: keytonorthameric02coue (find matches)
Title: Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology, an outline of the structure and classification of birds, and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds
Year: 1890 (1890s)
Authors: Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899
Subjects: Birds -- North America Birds -- Collection and preservation
Publisher: Boston, D. Estes and Company
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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0.75; tarsus 1.60; middle toewithout claw 1.40. In bulk of body this species is decidedly less than ^S*. parasiticus ; but theextreme elongation of the middle tail-feathers makes its total length as much or even more —up to 2.3.00 in some cases. The changes and states of plumage are identical with those of thepreceding species, though the melanotic phase is extremely rare (Ibis, 1865, p. 217). Adultsof the two species, with fully grown tail-feathers, cannot be confounded, but it is usually diffi-cult to distinguish young birds: observe the small size, and some differences of proportionsabove described, especially the short cere ; and in general a more ashy or grayish tone of theplumage. Eggs not distinguishable ; averaging smaller, but dimensions overlapping; a fairspecimen is 2.10 X 1-50 ; from this down to 1.90 X 1-40. This Jaeger, like the last, inhabitsthe Northern Hemisphere, but is on the whole more northerly, breeding chiefly within the STERCORARIID.E: JAEGERS, OR SKUAS. 081
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982 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS.—LONGIPENNES. Arctic circle, and seldom wandering in winter so far south. It is less common in the U. S. atthat season, and mainly observed in the Northern States; but is known to have reached theGulf of Mexico. (S. parasiticus of many writers ; S. erepidatus of some ; S. buffoni of formereditions of the Key; S. longicaudus A. 0. U. Lists, No. 38.) Family LARID^ : Gulls, Terns, Skimmers. Lon^-winged SvAimmers with horny covering of bill continuous (no cere) ; lateral nostrilspervious (and not tubular) ; middle tail-feathers not long-exserted ; coeca of moderate length,and sternum double-notched on each side of posterior border. The characters of LaridcBas defined are simply those of the order Longipennes or Gavice, minus those of the familyStercorariidcB (see p. 975). This family is a large and important one, including 18 or 20genera and some 110 species, of all parts of the world — all of the order excepting the 6 or7 species of Skuas or Jaegers. It is obv

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