408 Lieut, W. V. Legge on the Birds of the 



P. Z. S. for the present year. The other species enumerated 

 here, except S. melanog aster, are all abundant during the 

 S.W. monsoon ; I met with them everywhere along the coast 

 in June and July last year ; and, I have no doubt, breeding- 

 stations of all except O. ancesthetus will be found on future 

 exploration of remote spots in the district. S. media was in 

 Avinter dress up to the first week in July ; and specimens killed 

 were adults too ; but as they were all in abraded dress, and as 

 some Steruinse put on the nuptial garment during a very 

 short period, it is quite possible that they may breed here in 

 August '^. Of Sterna melanog aster I only saw isolated ex- 

 amples at either season of the year ; S. pelecanoides w as in 

 breeding-dress, and, I have no doubt, was nesting somewhere 

 in the vicinity of Hambantotta. Since writing on this species 

 in 'The Ibis' (1874, p. 33), I have procured examples near 

 Galle in full breeding-dress, and found the species abundant 

 out at sea in the height of the S.W. monsoon. It appears 

 that when breeding (Mr. Nevill informs me that he has taken 

 its eggs near Amblangodde, tAventy miles north of Galle) it 

 does not affect its w^onted spots along the coast j and I there- 

 fore had overlooked it during that season up to the time of 

 writing {loc.cit.)-\. G. anglica is, with S. media, the most 

 abundant of the Sterninae in this district, and it is found in 

 great numbers about the salt lakes extending up the w hole 

 line of the north-east coast. H. hybrida is the most univer- 

 sally distributed of all our Sterninae, but leaves the west coast 

 during the S.W. monsoon, as far as my experience goes, en- 

 tirely ; and I am therefore of opinion that it breeds on the 



nuta not being found in Ceylon (P. Z. S. 1872, p. 481), as I sent home a 

 specimen dated Colombo, 29tli September, 18G9, of the small, black-shafted, 

 dark-qtiilledldttle Tern, which Lord Waldeu identilied as that species. I 

 have recently procured it in the Trincomalie district. 



* I was at Hambantotta for two days last August, but I was unable to 

 do any shooting ; I, however, saw several examples along the coast, and 

 numbers off the Bass Rocks, which, as well as I could see, appeared to 

 have the vertex quite black. 



t There is much to be said touching the local distribution and breeding 

 of our Terns ; and I hope some day to be able to work out the subject 

 more completely than I have done up to the present time. 



