282 Zoological Society. 



which becomes much deeper on the abdomen and under tail-covertS^ 

 lengthened feathers of the back bluish grey, with lighter shafts 

 wing-coverts dark slate-grey, narrowly margined with buff and white 

 remainder of the wings and tail dark grey ; irides light yellow ; orbits 

 and eyelash gamboge-yellow ; upper mandible and cutting edge of 

 the lower mandible very dark reddish brown ; remainder of the lower 

 mandible oil-green ; tibiae -and hinder part of the tarsi bright yellow ; 

 remainder of the legs and feet yellowish brown. 



Total length 14 inches; bill 3|; wing 7^; tail 2|; tarsi 2J. 



The young differ in having all the upper surface brown, with a 

 triangular spot of white at the tip of all the wing-feathers, and the 

 throat broadly and conspicuously striated with brown on a white 

 ground. 



Hah. Port Essington. 



ACTITIS EMPUSA. 



All the upper surface pale glossy or bronzy brown, each feather 

 crossed with irregular bars of dark brown, bounded on either side by 

 a narrow line of paler brown ; wings dark brown ; base and tips of 

 the secondaries white ; primaries very slightly tipped wdth white ; 

 central tail-feathers pale glossy or bronzy brown, with a row of irre- 

 gular-shaped spots of dark brown along the margins ; lateral feathers 

 white, crossed by irregular blended bars of dark and pale brown ; 

 under surface white, with the exception of the sides of the chest,, 

 which are pale brown, and the shafts of the feathers of the front of 

 the neck, which are also pale brown. 



Total length 6^ inches ; bill 1^ ; wing 4|- ; tail 2i; tarsi 1. 



Hab. Port Essington. 



Remark. — Closely allied to, but smaller than, Actitis hypolencus. 



Sterna gracilis. 



Crown of the head and back of the neck rich deep black ; all the 

 upper surface, wings and tail silvery grey ; sides of the neck and all 

 the under surface white, with a blush of rose-colour on the breast and 

 centre of the abdomen ; shafts of the primaries white, their outer 

 webs slaty black, and a narrow stripe of dark slate-colour along the 

 inner web close to the stem ; irides brownish red ; bill red ; feet 

 orange-red, nails black. 

 - Total length \2\ inches ; bill 2 ; wing B>\ ; tail 6 ; tarsi j. 



Hah. The Houtmann's AbrolhoSj off the western coast of Australia. 



Remark. — A very elegant species, closely allied to Sterna Dougallii 

 of the British Islands, 



2. Short Descriptions of new or little-known Decapod Crus- 

 tacea. By Adam White, F.L.S., Assistant in the Zool. Dep. 

 British Museum. 



Family Maiad^. 



ScHizoPHRYs, White. 



Carapace oval, depressed, somewhat attenuated behind ; beak 

 deeply cloven ; upper orbit deeply cloven, with a strong tooth in the 



