MASON AND LEFEOY. 275 



Sternince. Terns. Always seek their food while flying, occa- 

 sionally plunging into the water for it, but generally seizing it of! 

 the surface ; a few hunt over marshes and fields, and eat grasshoppers 

 and other insects. They subsist chiefly on living prey especially 

 fishes and many Terns also feed on Crustacea or various floatirg 

 animals that they scoop up from the sea, and others live to a great 

 extent on insects. F. I. IV, 306. 



The food consists of fish and crustaceans, insects said some- 

 times to be taken on the wing frogs, newts, locusts, grasshoppers , 

 caterpillars, leeches, molluscs and medusae. E. B. C. N. H., 303. 



1496. Hydrochelidon hybrida. Whiskered Tern. Aquatic food, 

 but not infrequently hunting over fields, &c., on grasshoppers, 

 caterpillars and other insects. Jerd. B. Ill, 837. Aquatic irsect, 

 varied by frogs, newts and small fish. E. B. C. N. H., 837. 



1498. Hydroprogne caspia. Caspian Tern. Fish and prawns. 

 Jerd. B. I. Ill, 837. F. I. IV, 310. 



1499. Sterna anglica. Gull-billed Tern. Feeds alike on aqu- 

 atic food, and on grasshoppers, beetles and other insects. Jerd. 

 B. I. Ill, 836. Aquatic food and insects. F. I. IV, 312. 



1501. S. media. Smaller Crested Tern. Fish. F. I. IV, 314. 



1502. S. bergii.L&ige Crested Tern. Fish. F. I. IV, 314. 



1503. S. seena. Indian River Tern. 



Stomach examined. 



7-9-08 3 Dragorifties. Beneficial insects. 



1506. S. fluviatilis. Common Tern. Fish-eating exclusively. 

 F. I. IV, 318. 



1509. S. sinensis. White-shafted Tern. 



1510. S. minuta. Little Tern. 



1511. S. saundersi. Black-shafted Tern. The three small 

 Terns feed chiefly on fish. F. I. IV, 321. 



1512. S. melanauchen. Black-naped Tern. Fish. B. N. Ji. 

 S J. XIII, 152. 



