I 



17 



tields. The other species of the genus RaUina siiperciliaris (Eytoii) 

 is very much rarer and is represented by four or five specimens only 

 in the Federated Malay States Museums. 



DROMAS ARDEOLA, Paykuli,. 



Dromas ardeola, Paykuli ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mas., xxiv., 

 p.-28 (1896). 



The Crab Plover does not appear to have been recorded from 

 further east than the Andaman Islands oi- on the eastern shores of 

 the Bay of Bengal. On 24th September, 1912, Mr. Seimund shot 

 three specimens, none of them quite ad a It, out of a tiock of six met 

 with on the mud-fiats near Puluu Pintu Gedong, Klang Sti'aits, 

 Selangor. 



HYDROCHELIDON LEUCOPTERA (Mkisn. \ Scmxz). 



Hydrochelidon leucoptera (Meisn. and Schinz) ; Saunders, Cat. 

 Birds Brit. Mus., xxv., p. 6 (1896). 



The whiskered Tern was noted in considerable numbers in 

 breeding plumage in Penang harbour in March, 1911, but specimens 

 were not obtained. A large series of immature birds and birds in 

 winter plumage were secured in the same place in Octobei-, 1911. 

 The species seems to be not very common in Malayan watei-s. 



STERNA AN.ESTHETA, Scor. 



Sterna anasstheta, Scop. ; Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxv., 

 p. 101 (1896) ; Oates, Cat. Birds Eggs Brit. Mus., i., p. 190 (1901). 



Two small rocks about 150 feet high, between the islands of Sri Buat 

 and Tioman, oil' the coast of l^aliang, on the eastern side of the Penin- 

 sula, are fiequented by myriads of this tern. We visited these rocks, 

 which are known as Tokong Burong, on 15th June, 1912, and secured 

 a considerable number of eggs which were much incubated, though 

 no young birds were seen. The rocks are almost precipitous with 

 flat tops and are covered with a wiry grass gi-oAving in isolated 

 tussocks. The eggs are laid singly underneath or by the side of 

 these tussocks and take a good deal of finding. 



Of the series of fifteen before me the ground colour varies from 

 greenish white to pinky brown, and there is an equally wide range in 

 the character of the mottling which varies from an almost evenly 

 distributed speckling of dull pinkish brown to bold l^lotches of rich 

 chocolate brown, either evenly distributed over the shell or cono-re- 

 gated at the larger end. In all the specimens there are underlying 

 mai'kings of clouded pinky-buft: wliich, as Oates remai-ks, are not very 

 conspicuous. 



One egg, which was unfortunately smashed in descending the 

 rock, was almost pure white without any markings. There were 

 many thousands of the terns around the rock all in full breedino- 

 plumage with the steamers well developed, and intennixed with them 

 were a few Sterna melanaiichen, of which, however, we did not find the 

 eggs in this locality. 



Jan., 191S. 



