66 OCEAN BIRDS. 



of deep black." The young bird is speckled on back and head, with bill and legs 

 pale brown. 



The Southern Seas representative of the Lesser Tern is called by Gould, Stermda nereis. 

 He says: — "Stennda nereis is a beautiful representative in the Southern Ocean of the Lesser 

 Tern of the European seas, the habits, actions, and economy of both being precisely the 

 same." It is, however, rather larger, like most of the southern representatives. Describing 

 it, Mr. H. Saunders says : — " This species, which appears to be confined to Australia 

 and New Zealand, may be distinguished from the other small Terns by its somewhat larger 

 size ; the pale grey of the mantle, and especially of the primaries ; and by its having 

 no black lores, but only a dark spot in front of the eye." The adult bird is ten inches long. 



A little Tern, almost exactly similar to our Lesser Tern, is Sterna antillarum, concerning 

 which Mr. H. Saunders says : — " Similar to the above {S. minuta), and has also dark shafts 

 to primaries ; but the rump and tail-coverts are pearl-grey, like the mantle ; and there is but 

 little black at tip of bill. Ranges throughout temperate America, on both coasts, and down 

 to the Antilles, Trinidad, lat. 10° N." 



Another of these little Terns is Sterna sinensis, thus described by Mr. Howard Saunders : — 

 "Like S. minuta, but shafts of outer primaries white; as a rule also the bird is a trifle larger 

 and stouter, and has a longer development of lateral tail-feathers than S. minuta." In 

 the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' 1875, Part III., the bird is thus described : — 

 "With one blackish primary, from 7*25 to 6*9 inches in length; the bill long, and not 

 exceeding 1-3 ; vent and shorter under tail-coverts light iron-grey; feet clear orange." On 

 an Australian voyage would probably be only seen as we approached Australia. 



Sterna halmnarum is thus described by Mr. Saunders: — "In this species there is no 

 white frontlet, the black feathers coming down to the base of the bill, which is slender 

 and black, except at the gape ; the tail is grey, like the mantle ; and the tarsi and feet 

 are the smallest of those of the group. The shafts of the primaries are tohite. Wabirch 

 Bay to the Cape of Good Hope is its range, so far as is known." 



These complete the list of little Terns (called sometimes Stermda) that we should 

 be likely to meet with on the voyage to Australia. There are several species of this 

 group peculiar to the West Coast of America. 



The Gull-billed Tern {Sterna anglica). — This Tern may always be recognised by 

 reason of its bill being of the Gull-shape. As its Southern Seas representative {S. macrotarsa 



