128 LAEIDiE, 



Gyg:s sp. ?, Hartl. Ibis, 1864, p. '262 ; id. Mus.' Godeffroy, Cat. i. p. 5 



(1864). 

 Gyns decorata, Hartl. Ibis, 1864, p. 232 ; id. Mus. Godeffroy, Cat.i. 



■p.' 5 (1864). 

 Sterna hirundo ?, Sicinhoe, Ihis, 1866, p. 135 (Amoy) ; id. 021. cit. 



1807, p. 320 ( = S. raelanauchen). 

 Onvcbopi'ion suinatranus, Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 374 (1874) ; Vorderm. 



Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Ind. xliv. p. 207 (1884 : Java) ; id. op. cit. 



xlix. p. 420 (1889 : Sumatra) ; id. op. cit. li. p. 415 (1892 : Java). 

 Anous cineieus, Layard, Ibis, 1876, p. 156 (Coral islands, N.E. of 



Madagascar). 

 Sterua siuuatrana, Hume ^ Davison, Str. F. vi. p. 493 (1878) ; 



Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 116 (1879, List) ; id. op. cit. p. 162 (Tonka, 



Malaj' P.) ; Kelham, Ibis, 1882, p. 202 (Malacca Straits) , 



Adult in hreedhig-plumage. Forehead and crown pure white ; in 

 front of the eye a black triangular patch, the apex of which does 

 not reach the base of the bill ; behind the eye on each side and 

 enclosing the nape a band of black, bi'oad and prolonged in the 

 centre ; neck white ; mantle and rump delicate pearl-grey ; shafts 

 of all the primaries white ; the outer primary with the outer web 

 blackish, and the streak next the shaft on the inner web pale 

 gi'ey ; the succeeding primaries palest grey next the shafts on the 

 outer and the inner webs, the inner margins of all being pure 

 white • tail long and forked, the middle tail-feathers pale pearl- 

 grey, the rest white ; underparts glossy white, with a beautiful 

 roseate tint, as in S. dour/alli : bill black ; tarsi and toes dark 

 brown to black. Total length 13-5 inches, culmcn 1-6, wing 8-5, 

 tail 6, depth of fork 3, tarsus 0-7, foot with middle toe 0-9. The 

 male appears to have somewhat longer streamers than the female ; 

 otherwise the sexes are alike externally. 



Adtdt in winter plumage. Differs only in having less black in 

 front of the eye and on the nape. 



Immature. Similar to the above, but there is abrownish tinge to 

 the black on the nape ; the wing-coverts are ash-grey, and a dark 

 line runs along the carpal joint ; the webs of the four outer 

 primaries on both sides of the white shafts are dark ash-grey (the 

 outermost black), and the outer webs of the tail-streamers are also 

 ash-coloured. 



Yoiinq. Forehead and crown bufRsh white, with black streaks 

 which become confluent on the nape ; feathers of the mantle and 

 tail grey, barred with ash-brown and tipped with buff; primaries 

 with a good deal of grey, which throws into strong relief their 

 broad white inner margins : bill ochre-yellow, horn-coloured near 

 the tip ; toes yellowish brown. 



Nestling. Above pale buff, spotted and streaked with black and 

 nmber-brown ; beneath dull drab. 



Hah. Islands to the N.E. of Madagascar, Amiraute Group, 

 Seychelles, Chagos (Diego Garcia) Group, Nicobar and Andaman Is., 

 Tenasserim, Malayasia, and the whole Archipelago to New Guinea, 

 North Australia, Loyalty Islands, Fiji Group, and Polynesia 

 generally as far as the Friendly and Navigator Groups ; Phoenix, 



