LESSER TERN. 561 



inner webs; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers white, tail 

 forked ; chin, throat, sides of neck, breast, and all the under 

 surface of the body pure white ; legs, toes, and membranes 

 orange. The whole length of the bird is rather more than 

 eight inches ; from the carpal joint to the end of the wing 

 six inches and three-quarters. The adult bird in winter 

 only varies in having the head dull black, instead of deep 

 black. 



The young bird of the year, as figured, has the point of 

 the bill dark brown, the base pale brown; forehead and 

 crown mottled with dusky-brown and greyish-white, more 

 uniform in colour on the nape, and darker; back, wing- 

 coverts, and tertials ash-grey, margined with dusky-black; 

 primaries slate-grey, margins of the inner webs white ; 

 secondaries ash-grey ; tail-feathers greyish-white -spotted 

 with dusky-grey towards the ends ; chin, sides of neck, 

 breast, and all the under surface white ; legs pale brown. 

 The black loral streak, which is at first absent or only in- 

 dicated by a faint grey line, is assumed the second year. 



The nesthng is of a stone-buff on the upper parts, 

 sprinkled with grey, and spotted with black on the head ; 

 under parts dull white. 



VOL. III. 



4 G 



