44 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 79 1 



The rats, which were numerous on the island, destroyed eggs and 

 young, and before we left, a supply of poisoned grain was scattered 

 about to reduce the numbers of these rodents. 



THALASSEUS BERGII RECTIROSTRIS (Peale) 



Crested teru 



Sterna rectirostris Peale, U. S. Expl. Exp., vol. 8, 1848, p. 281. (Fiji Islands.) 

 An adult male in breeding dress was obtained at Toau, in the 

 Tuamotu group, October 4, 1929. The only other specimens avail- 

 able from the Pacific area are in post-breeding dress, two in this stage 

 from Makemo Island in the Tuamotus being distinctly paler above 

 than this adult. The skin from Toau has the following measure- 

 ments : Wing, 343.0 ; tail, 163.0 ; culmen, 59.0 ; tarsus, 28.4 mm. 



This fine tern was seen almost daily at the Tuamotu Islands, but 

 not elsewhere. 



PROCELSTERNA CERULEA CERULEA (F. D. Bennett) 



Gray noddy 



Sterna cerulea F. D. Bennett, Narr. Whaling Voy., vol. 2, 1840, p. 248. 

 (Christmas Island and other low coral formations of the Pacific.) 



The two specimens taken include a male from Uahuka in the 

 Marquesas, September 19, and a female from Toau in the Tuamotus, 

 October 5, 1929. The bird from the Marquesas is darker than the 

 other and it is possible that the two are subspecifically distinct, 

 but with only limited material at hand it is not practicable at this 

 time to separate them. Following are measurements: Male, wing, 

 175.0; tail, 97.0; culmen, 27.0; tarsus, 24.7 mm. Female, wing, 175.0; 

 tail, 93.8; culmen, 26.0; tarsus, 23.8 mm. 



Mathews ^^ is unquestionably in error in lumping birds from 

 Christmas Island, the type locality of cerulea^ with those of the 

 Hawaiian Islands. On turning to the original description of ceru- 

 lea^ we read " plumage light blue or slate colour," which agrees with 

 the darker birds of the south but would hardly apply to the paler 

 ones of the Hawaiian Islands, which have the breast nearly white. 

 A skin seen in the British Museum, taken on Christmas Island " with 

 egg," October 6, 1884, a topotype of cerulea^ is closely similar to 

 birds from the Marquesas, and is decidely darker than Hawaiian 

 specimens. 



The specimen of this lovely little tern taken at Uahuka was col- 

 lected some distance inland from the shore, but others were seen 



=» Birds Austr., vol. 2, pt. 4, Nov. 1, 1912, p. 431 ; Syst. Av. Austr., pt. 1, June 13, 

 1927, p. 144. 



