CLASSIFIED NOTES 507 



plumbeous ; legs and feet black. The adult in winter plumage lacks the rich velvety dark 

 brown chin and throat, these parts, like the remainder of the under parts, the sides of the face, 

 auricular region, and sides of the occiput being white ; the upper parts are slightly greyer than 

 in summer. The young bird is coloured as in the adult in summer dress. The nestling has 

 the upper parts dusky, beautifully patterned on the head with long downy feathers, black at 

 the base and creamy white at the extremity; back similarly marked, but the light markings 

 are more fulvous ; remainder of the under parts pure white ; iris in the adult brown. 

 [\v. i>. p. and T. w.] 



2. Distribution. This is an Arctic species, breeding in Iceland, the Spitsbergen group 

 and Franz Josef Land, along the Mnrman coast and in great numbers on Novaya Zemlya. Off 

 the coast of Asia it breeds at the mouth of the Khatanga, the New Siberian Isles, Bennett 

 and Wrangel Isles, and the Tchukchi Peninsula (Buturlin) ; while in North America it breeds in 

 Northern Greenland, Hudson Strait, the Labrador coast, and the Magdalen Isles in the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence. In the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Eastern Siberia it is replaced by an 

 allied race. Though migratory, this species never wanders far south in winter, and is only a 

 rare visitor to the North Sea and English Channel, having been recorded about a dozen times 

 in Great Britain, chiefly along the east coast ; but has occurred in Russia as a casual far inland 

 and also in N. France. In North America it occasionally ranges south to South Carolina, Ohio, 

 Indiana, and Iowa. [F. c. R. j.] 



THE TEENS 1 



[ORDER: Cliaradriiformcs. FAMILY: Laricke. SUBFAMILY: Stemince] 



WHITEWINGED BLACK-TERN [HydrocMidon Ieuc6ptera (Temminck); Hydrochelidon 

 leucoptera (Schinz). French, hirondelle de mer leucoptere ; German, weissfliiyelige 

 Seeschwalbe ; Italian, mignattino ali-biaviche]. 



1. Description. Distinguished in summer plumage from the other members of the genus 

 by the pure white tail. Length 10 in. [254 mm.]. In the summer dress the whole of the 

 head, back, rump, and all the under surface of the body, as well as the axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts, deep glossy black ; the region of the wrist, and the marginal coverts of the fore-arm 

 as well as the inner primaries shining silvery white, the three outer primaries black, dusted 

 with silver, shaft of the feathers ivory white; under tail-coverts and tail, which is but slightly 

 forked, snow-white ; iris dark brown ; bill livid red ; legs and feet vermilion. The adult in 

 winter has the upper parts, including the wings and tail, light grey, a white collar round the 

 back of the neck, the feathers of the back of the head and nape black, edged with white, the 

 forehead and under surface of the body as well as the axillaries pure white. The young in 

 down is of a rich fawn colour, with large median and lateral patches of black on the back and 

 on the crown. The under parts are of a uniform brownish white. The webs of the feet are 

 much indented in this species, [w. p. p. and T. w.] 



2. Distribution. Somewhat irregularly and sporadically distributed on the Continent, 

 chiefly in the south-east, and thence across Asia to China. It is said to have nested in France, 

 and apparently a few pairs breed in Sicily and Italy : it has nested in Bavaria, and does so in 

 some numbers in Hungary as well as in Galizia and Bulgaria. In South Russia it is more 

 plentiful, breeding north to Esthonia and lat. 58J. In Asia it breeds in Siberia up to about 

 lat. 53-55, south to Khiva and Turkestan, eastward to Dauria, Amuria, and perhaps 

 Kamtschatka (Buturlin). Breeding in North Africa requires confirmation. It winters in 

 Africa, where it has been met with south to the Transvaal, Orange River Colony and 

 Damaraland, and Southern Asia, as well as visiting the Malay Archipelago, Australia, and 



1 Vol. iii. p. 55. 



