NATATORES. 397 



back of the neck, and all the under surface silky white ; back, 

 wings, and tail grey ; secondaries tipped with white ; shafts 

 of the wings and tail white ; bill yellow ; irides black ; legs 

 and feet brownish black. 



Total length 1 7^ inches ; bill2f ; wingl2f ; tail?; tarsi 1. 



Sp. G03. TIIALASSEUS BENGALENSIS. 



IiSDiAN Tern. 



Sterna media, Horsf. ? 



henyalensis, Less. 



affinis, Riipp. ? 



Thalasseus torresii, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 140. 

 Pelecanopus torresi, Bouap. Compt. Rend, de I'Acad. Sci., torn. xli. 

 Mair -id-bo, Aborigines of Port Essington. 



Thalasseus torresii, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vii. pi. 25. 



In the collection formed by Gilbert at Port Essington were 

 two examples of this species, respecting which he says, " This 

 bird is numerous on all the sandy points in the harbour 

 as well as all round the coast and the neighbouring islands ; 

 and I am informed that it breeds on the sandy islands during 

 the months of April and May : " beyond this I have no 

 information to communicate, except that I possess examples 

 killed at Madras, in the East Indies, whence I infer that its 

 range extends from thence throughout the islands of the 

 Eastern Archipelago to the northern coasts of Australia. It 

 is intimately allied to the Thalasseus cristatus and T. 2)olio- 

 cercus, which it doubtless resembles in its general habits and 

 nidification. 



The stomach is membranous, and the food consists of fish. 



The sexes are alike in plumage ; in summer the forepart of 

 the head is black, while in winter it is white. 



Forehead, sides of the face and neck, upper part of the 

 back, and all the under surface silky white ; feathers of the 

 crown and surrounding the eye white, with a minute spot of 



