322 



This is very closely allied to S. sinensis and S. tninuta, but it 

 has a paler mantle ; the upper tail-coverts and tail are grey like 

 the back, only the long outermost rectrices being white, and the 

 first three primaries have the shafts and outer webs and the inner 

 webs near the shafts blackish, strongly contrasting with the pure 

 white inner borders of the feathers. The bill too is straighter 

 and slenderer. 



Length 9; tail 3, depth of fork 1-1; wing 675; tarsus -6; 

 bill from gape 1*6. 



Distribution. Coasts of the Indian Ocean from South Africa to 

 Burma, with the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, &c. This species has 

 been found at Karachi, Eatnagiri, Ceylon, the Laccadives, Madras, 

 and Lower Pegu. 



Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of the last two species, but 

 apparently this is even more of a sea-coast bird. The eggs were 

 taken at Karachi by Butler in May and June, and Legge found 

 birds breeding in Ceylon from June to August. 



1512. Sterna melanauchen. TJte Black-naped Tern. 



Sterna melanauchen, Temm. PI. Col. pi. 427 (1827); Blytk, J. A. S. B. 



xv, p. 373 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 429 ; id. in Humes N. # E. 2nd ed. 



iii, p. 302; Saunders, Cat. B. M. xxv, p. 126. 

 Hydrochelidon margiuata, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 373 ; id. Ibis, 



1865, p. 40. 

 Onvchoprion melanauchen, Blyth, Cat., p. 293; Jerdon, B. I. iii, 



p. 844; Blair, Ibis, 1866, p. 221 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, 



pp. 34, 243 ; WaWen, Ibis, 1874, p. 149. 

 Stern ula melanauchen, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 319. 

 Sterna sumatrana?, Raffl., Hume, S. F. v, p. 325; Hume <Sr Dav. 



S. F. vi, p. 493; Hume, Cat. no. 991. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, and most of the lores w r hite ; a 

 broad black nuchal band, forming a slight crest at the nape, is 

 continued forward to the eyes, and in front of each of these is a 

 narrow black band terminating in a point and not reaching the 

 bill ; a broad white collar behind the nape : remainder of upper 

 parts very pale pearl-grey ; outer rectrices white ; inner borders of 

 quills the same, outer web of 1st primary blackish ; cheeks and 

 lower parts white with a roseate tinge. 



In winter plumage there is rather less black on the nuchal and 

 ocular band. In young birds the black of the nape is brownish, 

 there is a dark band on the smaller wing-coverts, and the outer 

 primaries are dark grey on both sides of the shafts. In still 

 younger birds there are concentric brown bars on the mantle and 

 tail-feathers, and brown tips to the feathers of the crown. 



Bill black, the extreme points of both mandibles pale yellowish 

 horny ; irides wood- brown ; feet black (Hume). 



Length 13-5, tail 6 ; depth of fork 3 ; wing 8-5 ; tarsus '7 ; 

 bill from gape 2. 



Distribution. Chiefly insular, throughout the tropical parts of 

 the Indian Ocean, the Malay Archipelago, and North Australia ; 



