510 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Sterna melanorhynvha (not of Gould, 1848) Newton (E.), Ibis, 1863, 460 (Tama- 

 tave, Madaga'?car). — Masters, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W., 1876, 62.— Ram- 

 say, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 347 (Queensland, Australia). 



Stemula korustes Hume, Stray Feath., 1874, 318 (Andaman Islands). 



(?) Sterna nigrifrons Masters, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W., 1876, 62 (Warrior 

 Reef, Australia). 



STERNA ALEUTICA Baird. 



ALEUTIAN TERN. 



Adults in summer (sexes alike). — Forehead white, extending lat- 

 erally to or somewhat beyond posterior angle of eye; rest of pileum, 

 together with nape, upper portion of al^•icular region, and a broad 

 stripe on lores, extending from bill to eye, uniform deep black; rest 

 of upper parts mostjy plain gray (nearly light neutral gray), the tips 

 (sometim.es edges also) of secondaries, lower rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 and tail immaculate pure white; primaries slightly darker gray, 

 their shafts white, their inner webs mostly white but with a broad 

 stripe of deep gray nearest to shaft and a narrow edging or sub- 

 edging of the same; suborbital and malar regions, lower portion of 

 auricular region, axillars, under wing-coverts, and under tail-coverts 

 immaculate pure white; rest of under parts, together with neck, all 

 round, light gray (pale mouse gray), fading gradually into the white 

 of chin and under tail-coverts; bill, legs, and feet black; iris dark 

 brown. 



Adults in winter. — Similar to summer adults, but, according to 

 Saunders,*^ "with rather more white on the forehead." 



Young. — Pileum, lores, and hindneck smoky grayish brown, dark- 

 ening on occiput into dusky or dull sooty blackish, this dark color 

 extending laterally nearly or quite to eye, the smoky brown color 

 of hindneck extending over sides of neck to sides of chest, sometimes 

 even tinging median portion of the latter and the foreneck; back, 

 scapulars, proximal wing-coverts, and tertials dull slate-blackish or 

 dusky brownish gray,, the feathers broadly and sharply margined, 

 especially at tips, with deep yellowish ochraceous ; rest of wing gray, 

 the greater coverts and secondaries tipped with white, the primaries 

 essentially as in adults; upper part of rump dusky brownish gray, 

 the feathers narrowly tipped with pale fulvous, this preceded by a 

 subterminal bar of dusky; lower rump and upper tail-coverts gray, 

 the lateral coverts paler (sometimes nearly white), the longer ones 

 tipped with buff; tail pale gray, the rectrices becoming dusky sub- 

 terminally and tipped with deep buff or ochraceous, their inner webs 

 paler (nearly white), the outer web of lateral pair pure white; under 

 parts white, clouded or stained on sides of chest (sometimes also on 

 middle of chest, foreneck, throat, etc.), with smoke brown; maxilla 



a Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.. xxv. 1896. 99. 



