( 98 ) 



LARIDAE. 



47. Sterna bergii Licht. 



Tot'.al, Little Key, winter jilnmage. 

 Ngilgof, Little Key group, ¥ aud jnv. 

 Maar, Ceram-lant Islands, ? ad. 



48. Sterna melanauchen Temiu. 



Breeds on small outlying coral islands. Mr. Klihn sent it from Oeboer Island 

 in the Little Key group, and from Ree (or Noes Ree) near Tiaudoe. " Iris dark 

 brown. Feet with a reddish tinge. Bill jet-black." 



On Ree, a little island south of Walis in the Tiaudoe group, Mr. Kiihn found 

 this and the following two terns breeding on stony ground on .July 20th and 21st. 

 Although it was impossible to shoot the birds on tlie nests, the eggs of the three 

 species could as easily be distinguished as the birds. It took, however, a long time 

 to identify the first clutch of each species, and the observations were made sitting 

 and walking on fearfully rugged, sharp-pointed, coral ground. 



Sterna tmlanaucken had clutches of two eggs ; only one nest was found 

 containing three. 



The eggs vary very much, like all terns' eggs, but a dozen before me are all 

 very light, either greenish-white or creamy-white. They measure 39 ; 28, 42 ; 

 2T-8, 39 : 28, 30 ; 3U, 41 ; 28-8, 39-.5 ; 28-2,' 38 ; 29, 42 ; 27-0, 39 ; 29, 47 ; 42-5, 

 and 39-(i ; 27-7 mm. 



49. Sterna dougalli Mont. 



This tern was also found breeding on Ree Island. Two adult birds sent had 

 the bills coral red (-Tuly 20tli). They belong evidently to the (usual) large form, 

 while in the Andaman Islands a remarkably small form occurs, which must be 

 called Sterna dougalli Itorustes Hume. This form may, however, occur elsewhere. 

 A bird from Woodlark Island in the Tring Museum is remarkably small, but not 

 so small as the Andaman Islands form. This species was breeding much less 

 numerously on Ree Island than Sterna melanauchen and Sterna sinensis. Their 

 clutches were of one egg each only. They were quite fresh. The four sent are very 

 different from each other. 



50. Sterna sinensis Gm. 



This species bred also in numbers on Ree Island. The eggs were always two 

 in number, and all were very hard set. The four eggs sent are indistinguishable 

 from the common brownish varieties of Sterna miniita eggs. 



PODICIPIDAE. 



51. Podiceps tricolor G. R. Gray. 



Mr. Kiihn sent a very fine series from Ohoitil, Little Key gronp, all collected 

 in February l.s9.s. He marks the iris as dark vermilion, the feet as black 

 marmorated with grey, bill black with a yellowish-white oblique mark covering 



