on Dr. Jcrdon's 'Birds of India.' 177 



mandel coast to the Museum at Calcutta. It also occurs in 

 the Arabian and Red Seas, though perhaps confounded there 

 with L. fuscescens, Licht. 



979. Chroicocephalus ichthyaetus. 



The young was sent by Col. Tickell to the Asiatic Society from 

 Central India (Chaibasa) . I have procured adults in fine sum- 

 mer dress, with intensely black hood and finely coloured bill, 

 from the mouth of the Hugh. Prof. Schlegel designates the 

 Bengal race Larus ichthyaetus minor, and gives the length of 

 closed wing as "16 pouces 4 lignes;" while Dr. Jerdon gives 

 the length of wing as 19 to 20 inches (English measure). 



980. Xema brunneicephala (Jerdon); Larus hrunneiceps, 

 Cabanis; "L. lach-ymosus, hicht.'' (nee Brehm), Schlegel; "L. 

 ridibundus, var. major, IMiddendorfi"," Swinhoe. 



984. Hydrochelidon indica (Steph.); H.fluviatilis, Gould, 

 B. Austr. vii. pi. 30. 



985. Seena aurantia. 



I do not perceive the affinity of this bird to the Marsh -Terns. 

 It is a true River-Tern with a thick bill, and, except Sterna me- 

 lanogaster, is the only River-Tern I have observed in Bengal, 

 where, of the Marsh-Terns, Gelochelidon anglica and Hydroche- 

 lidon indica are common. I have met with no other. 



Sterna paradisea, Briinn,; S. dougalli, Mont, (vol.iii. p. 840) . 



Prof. Schlegel (Mus. P.-B. Sternce, p. 24) notices a specimen 



of this bird, in summer dress, from Bengal, obtained by M. 



Dussumier. 



988. Sternula minuta. 



I am not well satisfied with the determination of this species 

 [cf. Swinhoe, ^bis,' 1863, p. 429). 



989 and 990. Thalasseus cristatus and T. bengalensis. 



Eggs have been figured in ' The Ibis ' (1860, pi. v.) under the 

 synonymous names Ste^ma velox and S. affinis, Riippell. The 

 first is also identical with Sterna bergii, Lichtenstein, according 

 to Schlegel, who distinguishes it from S. pelecanoides, King ; Dr. 

 Pucheran has treated of S. bengalensis. Lesson (Rev. Zool. 1850, 

 p. 342) . {Cf. also ' Ibis,' 1865, p. 39.) 



