629 



STERNA VELOX. RUPPELL'S TERN. 



In the Annals of Natural History for September, 1847, 

 and in the third volume of his Natural History of Ireland, 

 Mr. Thompson gives an account of a specimen of this species, 

 killed near Sutton, a place on the road between Dublin and 

 Howth, in the end of December, 1846. Two others were 

 stated to have been in company with it. The following 

 particulars were noted down respecting it : — 



" Length, total (stuffed) to the end of longest bill-feathers 

 20 j\ inches ; of bill above from forehead to point 2^ ; from 

 rictus to point 3^ ; of wing from carpus lo^ ; of tarsus 

 about 1 ; of middle toe to base of nail -^ ; of nail itself, 

 measured in a straight line, about -^. 



" Wing and longest tail-feathers about of equal length ; 

 outer or longest tail-feathers exceed the middle by three 

 inches. Bill wholly yellowish horn-colour ; legs and toes 

 wholly black. Colour of the entire plumage the same as 

 that of the Common Tern (S. hirundo), but the back is rather 

 of a darker shade than that of the latter when adult. The 

 black of the head does not reach within one-third of an inch 

 of the bill ; space between the termination of the black 

 plumage and the bill, pure -w hite. The specimen is evidently 

 adidt." 



