STEBNA. 319 



near the shore, laying three eggs of: the usual character. The nest 

 is often on shingle above high-water mark. 



The true S. hirundo, L. (S. macrura, auct.) breeds in north 

 temperate and arctic regions, but has been found migrating in 

 winter as far as South Africa and South America. Stragglers 

 might be met with in India. The coloration is very similar to 

 that of S. fluviatilis, but adults may be recognized by having the 

 bill entirely red, and birds of all ages by the tarsus being shorter 

 than the middle toe without the claw. 



1507. Sterna longipennis. Nordmann's Tern. 



Sterna longipennis, Nordmann in Ermans Reise, p. 17 (1835) ; 



Hume, Cat. no. 986 bis ; Sounders, Cat. B. M. xxv, p. 67. 

 Sterna tibetana, apud Hume, S. F. viii, p. 158, nee Saunders. 



Coloration. Similar to that of S. jluviatilis, except that the bill 

 is always black and the feet are blackish. Adults are darker in 

 colour, both above and below, but the difference is not great. All 

 the measurements appear identical, or nearly so, except those of 

 the bill, which is altogether smaller, and measures about 1-75 from 

 the gape. 



Distribution. The Eastern coasts of Asia and the neighbouring 

 islands from Kamtchatka to New Guinea. Immature specimens 

 identified by H. Saunders have been obtained in the Malay Penin- 

 sula by Davidson and others ; and one example, now in the British 

 Museum, was collected by Legge in Ceylon, in June. 



1508. Sterna dougalli. The Roseate Tern. 



Sterna dougalli, Mont. Orn. Diet. Suppl (1813) ; Legge, S. F. iii 



p. 376 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 294 : Sutler, S. F. v, p. 327 ; vii, 



p. 188 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 492 ; Hume, Cat. no. 985 bis ; 



Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 1033 ; Parker, S. F. ix, p. 488 ; Oates, B. B. 



ii, p. 425 ; id. in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 301 ; Saunders, 



Cat. B. M. xxv, p. 70. 

 Sterna paradisea, apud Keys. 8f Bias. Wirb. Eur. p. 247 (1840), nee 



Briinn. ; Blyth, Cat. p. 292 ; id. Ibis, 1867, p. 177 ; Walden, Ibis, 



1874, p. 149. 

 Sterna gracilis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1845, p. 76 ; Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 317, 



501. 

 Sternula korustes, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 318. 



Coloration. In breeding-plumage the crown, with the forehead, 

 upper lores, sides of head to lower edge of orbit, and upper part 

 of hind neck black ; lower lores, cheeks, sides of neck, and a collar 

 round the hind neck white ; back and wings pale pearl-grey ; 

 rump and tail paler, outer tail-feathers white ; outer web of 1st 

 primary black, except near tip ; inner web blackish near shafts, 

 inner border of all primaries and secondaries to the tips white, 

 and also the outer border of the secondaries near the end ; lower 

 parts throughout white, suffused with delicate pink, evanescent in 

 dried skins. 



