656 STERNA MINUTA. 



dark hue of the longer quills appears of a softened or greyish 

 tint. 



" The female has the bill shorter, more slender, of a paler 

 tint, with rather less of the tip black ; the feet of a paler 

 orange, approaching to flesh-colour ; but in other respects is 

 precisely similar, only of smaller size. 



" Male. — Length 10 inches ; extent of wings 21^ ; bill 

 1-^, along the gape l^V ; wing from flexure 7-j^, extending 

 1 inch beyond the tip of the longest tail-feather, which is 

 1-^ longer than the shortest; tarsus 7^; middle toe -j%, its 

 claw -j^. 



" Female. — Length 9-j^ ; extent of wings 20 ; bill 1-^ ; 

 lateral tail-feathers 1^ longer than the medial." 



The colony had resorted to this place for many years, and 

 in 1841, when I visited it, numbered about two hundred 

 individuals ; but the annual abstraction of the eggs by herd- 

 boys, and the complete *' berrying " of 1849, induced them 

 to remove. They have now settled on the sands near Ythan 

 mouth, about ten miles farther north. 



Young. — The young, when fledged, have the bill pale 

 yellow, its tip blackish-brown ; the feet pale reddish-yellow ; 

 the forehead yellowish- white, the upper and hind parts of the 

 head pale brown, the latter with blackish-grey markings ; 

 the back and wings yellowish-brown, the feathers bordered 

 with blackish-grey ; the tail-feathers white at the base, 

 becoming pale yellowish-broAvn at the end ; the lower parts 

 white. 



