84 ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



1875, p. 257.— 7(?., iMd., 187G, p. 202.— Id., Bull. Soc. Zool. France. 1876. p. 

 261.— Id., ibid., 1882, p. 397.— /d., Oin. Faun. Vost. Sibir., p. 62(1877).— 

 Saunders, P. Z. S., 1876, p. 650.— Seebohm, Ibis, 1879, p. 23.— Id., iUd., 

 1880, p. 194.— FiNSCH.P. Z. S.,1879, p. 15.— id., Ibis, 1881, p. 540.— Blakist. 

 & Pryer, Tr. Asiat. Soc. Japan, VIII, 1880, p. im.—Iid., ibid., X, 1882. 

 p. 103.— Stejneger, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1883, p. 70 {part), Ibis, W83, p. 

 582.— /rf., Naturen, 1884, p. 8.— Blakist., Amend. List B.Jap., p. 10 (1884), 

 1858. — Sterna glacialis Kittlitz, Denkw. Eeise, I, p. 322. 



Dr. Otto Finsch has most erroneously identified Baird's aleutica with 

 Pallas's camtschatica, thus extending the range of the former species so 

 as to embrace both the American and the Asiatic shores of the North 

 Pacific, while it really is of a very limited distribution on the Americaa 

 side only. Finsch's identification was evidently made from the descrip- 

 tions only, he having never seen a specimen of the true aleutica ; but 

 an actual comparison of my Kamtschatkan birds with a large number 

 of Sterna aleutica proves,' beyond doubt, that the two species are per- 

 fectly distinct, not only in color but also in proportions. In fact, 

 Hartlaub and Finsch were perfectly correct (Orn. Centr. Polynes., p. 

 220) when referring Pallas's camtschatica to longipomis. 



The difference in coloration between the latter and S. aleutica is 

 chiefly the uniform black forehead, crown, and nape, while aleutica 

 in full breeding summer plumage has the forehead and a superciliary 

 stripe pure white. The size is about the same, but the proportions of 

 bill and feet are rather different. In aleutica the bill on the average 

 is shorter, the tarsus also shorter, but the middle toe very considerably 

 longer. This character is very conspicuous, and will serve to distin- 

 guish the two species in all i^lumages. 



That Nordmann's longipcnnis is the same as Pallas's camtschatica can 

 hardly be doubted. When considering the description given by the 

 latter we must remember that he had not seen the bird himself, Steller's 

 manuscript notes being his only source, and that the measurements are 

 evidently wrong, probably belonging to some other bird. The dimen- 

 sions " caudce 3" " and '■^digiti medii 1" 7'"" are, of course, not more cor- 

 rect than "5"' " are correct for the tail of Sterna caspia, as given on a pre- 

 vious page. " Rostrum nigrum,''^ ^^ Color fere St. Hirundinis^'' and " Pedes 

 fusco-rubri^^ &t the Kamtschatkan " Martischka," as it is still called 

 by the natives (cfr. "Larus Martyschka, Steller MS."), so well as to 

 allow no doubt as to what bird is meant. 



