HTDROCHELIDON NIGRA 361 



HYDROCHELIDON NIGRA (Linuseus). 

 BLACK TERN. 



Sterna nigra, Linn. Sijst.Nat. i, p. 227 (1766) ; Malhcrbc, Faune Orn. de 



I'Alg. p. M (1855). 

 Hydrochelidon nigra, Bole, his, 1822, p. 563; Koenig, J.f. O. 1883, p. 



287 ; id. J. f. 0. 1893, p. 98 ; Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxv, 



p. 17 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1896, p. 99. 

 Hydrochelidon fissipes, Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 205 (1867). 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Tunis, North Tunisia. 



Forehead, crown, nape and neck black; remainder of the upper plumage 

 slate-grey, the primaries with darker grey lines along the shafts ; wings 

 with a slight white edging ; sides of the head, throat and under parts black ; 

 crissum and under tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts pale grey ; toes 

 only slightly webbed. 



Iris dark brown ; bill and feet violet-brown. 



Total length 9-75 inches, wing 8-75, culmen 1-25, tarsus '65. 



Adult female similar to the male, but rather smaller. 



According to Blanc the Black Tern is abundant in Tunisia on 

 passage in spring, but is still commoner tov/ards the end of summer 

 and early autumn, when vast numbers may be observed. He says 

 the species commences to arrive on the Tunisian coasts soon after 

 the middle of July, in small flocks at first, coming apparently from 

 the east, but by the end of July and in August it is to be found 

 distributed throughout the country generally, both north and south, 

 and in large flocks of many thousands of individuals. 



Though so plentiful on passage, the species apparently does not 

 breed in the Eegency. 



In Algeria and Marocco it is also numerous during the periods 

 of migration, but there does not seem to be any positive evidence of 

 its breeding in either country. 



The species inhabits Europe generally, ranging as far north as 

 60° N. lat., Asia, as far east as Turkestan, and Africa, as far south as 

 Abyssinia on the east and Loango on the west. In America it is 

 represented by the closely allied form H. surinamensis. 



In its habits this small Tern is singularly tame and confiding, 

 appearing to be totally fearless of man, and at times flying within 

 arm's length of a person. Owing to the facility with which it is 



