STERNA. 323 



north to the Loo-choo Islands, and east to' the Friendly and 

 Navigator Groups. This Tern is common at the Andamans and 

 Nicobars, and is occasionally obtained on the Burmese coast. 



Habits, tyc. An oceanic Tern, keeping much to the high seas 

 near tropical islands. It breeds at both the Andamans and 

 Mcobars, on little rocky islets, between the middle of May and the 

 beginning of August, and lays two eggs yellowish, pinkish, or 

 greenish, and double-spotted on coral or sand ; the eggs measure 

 1*56 by 1'12 on an average. 



1513. Sterna anaestheta. The Panayan Tern. 



Sterna ausestheta *, Scopoli, Del. Faun, et Flor. Insubr. ii, p. 92 (1783) ; 



Legge, S. F. iii, p. 377 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 474 ; Butler, S. F. v, 



p. 301 ; Hume $ Dav. S. I. vi, p. 493 ; Butler, S. F. vii, p. 178 ; 



Hume, Cat. no. 992 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 1040 ; Butler, S. F. ix, 



p. 441 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 431 ; Bat-net, Birds Bom. p. 433 ; id. 



Jour. Bom. N. H. Sac. vi, p. 300 ; Gates in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. 



iii, p. 300 ; Aitken, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. ix, p. 496 ; Sounders, 



Cat. B. M. xxv, p. 101. 



Sterna panayensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 607 (1788). 

 Onychoprion auasthsetus, Blyth, Cat. p. 293 ; Jerdon, B. I. tii, p. 844; 



Ball, S. F. i, p. 90 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 320. 

 The Brown-winged Tern, Jerdon. 



Coloration. Forehead and superciliary stripe extending beyond 

 orbit white : crown, nape, and loral stripe, extending to the bill 

 and just including the orbit, black ; hind neck light grey ; back, 

 wings, rump, and tail dark greyish brown, basal three-fourths of 

 long outer pair of rectrices and their outer edges to the tip white ; 

 primaries blackish brown, portions of inner webs whitish ; cheeks 

 and lower parts white ; breast, abdomen, and flanks more or less 

 suffused with grey, often tinged pinkish. 



In winter the upper plumage is browner and less grey, and the 

 feathers of the crown and lores are dark brown with pale edges. 

 This phase apparently lasts but a short time. Young birds have 

 the crown-feathers white with dark' shaft-streaks, the nape 

 blackish, the lores white with black specks, and the feathers of the 

 upper parts with rufous or whitish edges. 



Bill, legs, and feet black ; irides deep brown (Hume). 



Length 14-5 ; tail 6 to 7'5, depth of fork 3 to 4 ; wing 9'5 ; 

 tarsus -8 ; bill from gape 2. 



Distribution. Tropical and subtropical seas. This Tern is 

 generally distributed on the Indian, Ceylonese, and Burmese 

 coasts, abounding at times on the reefs of the Laccadives, and 

 breeding at Vingorla Rocks and in the Persian Gulf. 



Habits, <$fc. This and the next species approach the Noddies in 

 colour and habits, and are Oceanic Terns, being often seen far 

 from land, especially around oceanic islands. Frequently flocks 



* This name is variously spelt anaeihetus, anaetheta, anosthcetus, an- 

 ctsthetus, &c. 



Y2 



