364 BIRDS OF DAMARA LAND. 



coverts, pure white ; top of head, at the back of ears and 

 nape, brown margined with white. 



Upper part of back and shoulders brownish grey, edged 

 with lighter grey ; the rest of the back and scapulars, 

 tertials, and wings grey, shaded and spotted with brown ; 

 outer vanes of the quills dusky silver-grey ; nearly half 

 of the inner vanes grey-white, shading lighter on the 

 inner vanes ; all shaded with brown on the extremities ; 

 shafts light wood-brown; inner side of wings grey, shading 

 lighter on the inner vanes ; upper tail-coverts pale grey ; 

 tail also grey, tinged slightly with brown ; bill jet-black*, 

 except the very extremities, which are light horn-colour ; 

 legs and toes bright red ; claws dark horn-colour. 



Form. — Body slender; bill rather short but strong, 

 anteriorly slightly curved, points awl-like ; cutting-edges 

 of both mandibles bent inwards; nostrils basal, linear, 

 oblong, and situated nearer the cutting-edges than the 

 superior ridge; wings very long and pointed, reaching 

 when folded far over the end of the tail ; first quill the 

 longest. 



Tail moderately long and slightly forked ; tarsi short 

 and weak ; toes moderately long and slender and united 

 by a membrane to the second articulation ; claws longish, 

 nearly straight, middle the longest and dilated ; hind toe 

 and nail very short. 



[As this Tern was not comprised in Mr. Andersson's last col- 

 lection, and as the species was not identified by him, I have 

 transcribed in fnll his description of it, wliicli appears to me 



* [The bill of this species, though black in winter, assumes more or less of 

 a dark red tinge when the bird attains its full nuptial dress. — Ed.] 



