897 



STERNA. 



STERNID^E. 



man, but principally employed for feeding cattle. The bark of this 

 plant is bitter, and is said to be serviceable in the horrible disease 

 called Elephantiasis. 



Hermanniert. Two-thirds are found at the Cape of Good Hope ; 

 the remainder are natives of the East and West Indies, South 

 America, and the islands of the Pacific. The species of Waltheria 

 abound in mucilage, and are used in medicine as demulcents. 



Dombeyce are all African, Eaat Indian, or South American. Their 

 properties are similar to the preceding. One of the species, Wallichia 

 spectabilit, forms a handsome tree, approaching the Linden, and points 

 out a relation between this order and Tiliacece. 



Latiopetalie are found entirely in Australia, and possess no 

 remarkable properties. For further information on the properties 

 of plants of this order see BOMBACE^E, ADANSONIA, STERCULIA, and 

 THEOBKOMA. 



STERNA. [STERNID.K] 



STERNBE'RGIA. [COAL-PLANTS.] 



STERNBERGITE, a Mineral, occuring crystallised. Its primary form 

 is a right rhombic prism. Colour pinchbeck-brown, with occasionally 

 a violet tarnish in some of the faces. Streak black. Flexible in thin 

 laminv. Lustre metallic. Opaque. Hardness I'O to 1-5. Specific 

 gravity 4'2 to 4'25. It is found at Joachimsthal in Bohemia. Its 

 analysis by Zippe gives 



Sulphur 30-0 



Silver . . . . . . . . 33-2 



Iron 36'0 



, 99-2 



STERN 4 ID/E, the name of a family of Web-Footed Long- Winged 

 Birds which are commonly known as Sea-Swallows and Terns. 



Linnaeus, in his last edition of the ' Systema Naturae,' places the 

 genus Sterna between Larus and Mtynchopa. 



Cuvier arranges the Hirondclles de Mer between the Goeland* 

 (Larut) and Rhynchopi. Ho observes that these Hirondellcs de Mer 

 derive their names from their excessively long and pointed wings, 

 their forked tail, and their short legs, which give them a port and 

 flight analogous to those of the swallows. Their bill, he adds, ia 

 pointed, compressed, straight, without curvature or projection ; their 

 nostrils, situated towards the base, arc oblong and pierced through ; 

 the membranes which unite their toes are very much notched, they 

 therefore swim but little. They fly in all directions, and with rapidity 

 over the sea, uttering loud cries, and cleverly picking up from its 

 surface the molluscs and small fishes which form their food. They 

 also advance inland to lakes and rivers. 



Head and Foot of Tern. 



The same author states that the Noddies may be distinguished 

 from the other Sea-Swallows. Their tail is not forked. 



Mr. Swainson makes the genus Sterna, consist of the following sub- 

 genera : Sterna, Linn. ; Tftataititei, Sw. ; Phaeton, Linn. ; lihynchope, 

 Linn. ; Gavia, Briss. 



Prince Bonaparte places Sternintf, the second sub-family of his 

 Larida, between the sub-families Jlltynchopsina and Larince. The 

 Sternirue consist of the following genera : 



Sterna, Linn. ; Hydrochelidon, Boie ; Megalopterut, Boie (Sterna 

 ttnlida of authors) ; Thalatsetut, Boie ; , Oelochelidon, Brehm ; and 

 Stylochelidon, Brehm. (' Birds of Europe and North America.') 



Mr. G. R. Gray (' Genera of Birds ') arranges the Sternince as the 

 third and last sub-family of Laridie, immediately after JUiynclwpina;, 

 with the following genera : 



Pfuetuta, Wagl. ; Qelochelidan, Brehm. ; Tkalasteiu, Boie ; Styloche- 

 lidon, Brehm; Gygit, Wagl.; Sterna, Linn.; Slernula, Boie; Hydro- 

 chelidon, Boie ; A noiii, Leach (Sterna ttnlida of authors) ; Onychoprion, 

 Wagl.; and Pelecanoptu, Wagl. The Pelecanidce immediately follow. 

 [I, A KID*.] 



The following species of Sterniace have occurred, some occasionally 

 only, in Europe : 



The Caspian Tern, Sterna Catpia (genus Stylochelidon, Brehm); the 

 Sandwich Tern, S. Cantiaca (genus Thalatteui, Boie) ; the Gull-Billed 

 Tern, 8. Anglica (genus Gelochelidon, Brehm) ; the Common Tern, 

 >'. IHrundo (genus Sterna of authors) ; the Roseate Tern, S. DougaUii 

 (genus Sterna) ; the Arctic Tern, .S'. Arctica (genus Sterna) ; the Little 

 Tern, S. minula (genus Sternula, Boie) ; the Noddy, .S'. itolida (genus 



HAT. HIST. CIV. VOL. IV. 



Anoiis, Leach; Megalopterus, Boie); the Black Tern, S. nigra (genus 

 Hydrochelidon, Boie; Viralva, Leach); the White- Winged Tern (.S'. 

 leucoptera (genus Hydrochelidon (?), Boie) ; and the Moustache Tern, 

 S. leucopareia (genus Hydrochelidon (?), Boie; Viralva (?), Leach). Of 

 these, the largest is the Caspian Tern. 



& Hirundo, the Common Tern, is the Pierre Garin of the French ; 

 Fionco and Rondine di Mare of the Italians ; Meerschwalbe and 

 Kothfussiger Meerschwalbe of the Germans; Zee-Zwaluw of the 

 Netherlanders ; Kria of the Icelanders ; Tende, Tendelobe, Sand- 

 Tolle, and Sand-Taerrne, of the Norwegians; Taorne of the Danes; 

 Sea-Swallow of the English ; and Y For-wennol Fwyaf and Yscraean of 

 the Welsh. 



The forehead, top of the head, and long feathers of the occiput, are 

 deep black ; posterior part of the neck, back, and wings, bluish-ash ; 

 lower parts pure white, with the exception of the breast only, which 

 is slightly clouded with ash-colour ; quills whitish-ash, terminated by 

 ashy-brown ; tail white, but the two lateral feathers blackish-brown 

 on their external barbs ; bill crimson-red, often blackish towards the 

 point; iris reddish-brown; feet red. Length 13 to 14 inches. Such 

 is M. Temmiuck's description of the adult male and female. 



Common Tern (Sterna Hirundo). 

 Two adults : one in winter, the other in summer plumage. (Gould.) 



" The Common Tern," saya Mr. Gould, in his great work on ' The 

 Birds of Europe," " although not universally dispersed over our coasts, 

 is nevertheless a very abundant species, being found in great numbers 

 over tho southern shores, but more sparingly over the northern, 

 which are almost exclusively inhabited by its near ally, the Arctic 

 Tern. It is now satisfactorily ascertained that the Common Tern 

 does not extend its range to the American continent, and that its 

 place is there supplied by another species, to which Prince Bonaparte 

 has given the specific appellation of Wilsoni, in honour of the cele- 

 brated ornithologist by whom it was first described." The Princo 

 however gives both S. Wilsoni and S. Hirundo as American species in 

 his 'B : rds of Europe and North America;' and M. Temminck states 

 that individuals killed in North America differ in nothing from those 

 of Europe. In the fourth part of his 'Manuel ' (1840), though he 

 adds to the synonyms and references, quoting among the rest Mr., 

 Gould's work, he leaves his own observation above noticed uucontra- 

 dicted. " How far," says Mr. Gould, in continuation, " the Common 

 Tern is distributed over the Old Continent we have not satisfactorily 

 ascertained; but we believe its range ia extended from the Arctic 

 Circle to the Mediterranean, and even to the coasts of Africa and 

 India, to which southern and eastern countries it is supposed to retire 

 during our winters. The Common Tern does not confine itself entirely 

 to the sea, but frequently resorts to inland streams, &c. ; and when 

 thus ascending our creeks and rivers these little fairies of the ocean 

 fearlessly fish around our boats, nothing can be more pleasing than to 

 observe their poise and dip. When with their scrutinising eyes they 

 have observed a fish sufficiently near the surface, they precipitate 

 themselves upon it with unerring certainty, and a rapidity that is 

 truly astonishing : this mode of capture strongly reminds us of the 

 fissirostral tribe among the land birds, and they may indeed be truly 

 termed the Swallows of the Ocean, their long and pointed wings and 

 small but muscular bodies being admirably adapted for rapid 'and 

 sustained flight, and affording the means by which they are enabled 

 to traverse the surface of the deep with never-tiring wings." 



We have seen them performing their graceful evolutions so far 

 inland as near Oxford, where they were continually dipping in the 

 Isis for bleak, as it appeared to us, which were abundant there. 



Mr. Selby states that this Tern breeds upon tho sand or shinglo 

 beyond high-water mark, making no artificial nest, but scraping a 

 slight concavity for the reception of two or threo pggc, which vary 



8 M 



