394 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA. 



Genus THALASSEUS, Boie. 



The members of this genus, the type of which is the T. 

 cantiacus of the British Islands, are widely dispersed over most 

 parts of the Old World, and three distinct species inhabit Au- 

 stralia. 



Sp. 601. THALASSEUS CRISTATUS. 



Torres' Straits' Tern. 



Caspian Tern, var. B., Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. vi. p. 351. 



Crested Tern, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. x. p. 101. 



Stei-na aistata, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. p. 146. 



pelecano'ides, King's Survey of Intertropical Australia, vol. ii. 



p. 422. 



velox, Riipp. Atl. zu der Reise Nord. Afrika, pi. 13. 



Pelecanopus pelecano'ides, Wagl. 



pelecanoides, Bonap. Compt. Rend, de I'Acad. Sci., torn. xli. 



Gerra-gerra, Aborigines of New South Wales. 



Kal-jeer-gang, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western AustraHa. 



Yellow-hilled Tern of the Colonists. 



Thalasseus pelecanoides, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vii. 

 pi. 23. 



This Tern I believe to be the bird described by Capt. King as 

 Sterna pelecanoides, as it is the only large species of the family 

 inhabiting Torres' Straits. Captain King's description was 

 doubtless taken either from an immature bird or one in the 

 winter plumage. It differs from Thalasseus poliocercus in its 

 much larger bill and in being a much stouter bird ; it is how- 

 ever most nearly allied. I have received specimens and eggs 

 from Port Essington, and also from Rottnest Island off the 

 western coast of Australia, where Gilbert found the bird breed- 

 ing in great numbers on an isolated rock about two hundred 

 yards from the mainland. It also attracted the notice of Mr. 

 Macgillivray while cruising in Torres' Straits, and it is to 

 him that I am indebted for the following information as to its 

 range, &c. : — " This handsome Tern, which supplies the place 



