84 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



more or less streaked with dusky on the lesser wing-coverts ; head black with a 

 mixture of white on the fore-head ; feathers of the nape black, with a brownish tinge. 



Immature. With remnants of down on head, back, throat, flanks, etc. All 

 under-surface pure white, rusty down on throat and blackish down on sides of neck, 

 and rusty down on flanks. Fore-head black down, top of head rufous-brown down 

 with black blotches ; upper back black with minute rufous tips, scapulars blackish- 

 brown with broad rufous edges, back feathers coming grey with rufous down still 

 adhering ; wing-coverts grey with scant rufous tips ; primaries dark grey with faint 

 brownish tipping ; tail-feathers grey with buffish tips. Bill brownish -dusky, fleshy 

 at base of lower mandible ; iris brown ; legs dusky-red. 



Nestling in down. Rufous-buff above with black blotches on back of neck 

 and on back, smaller black spots on top of head ; blotches appear to be ranged in 

 series of three ; one of which at base of winglet tip is rufous ; fore-head deeper 

 rufous with black spot at base of bill, chin white, throat and sides of neck black, 

 breast white, rest of under parts tawny, centre of abdomen paler. 



Nest. Built of aquatic vegetation of large size and well shaped, floating in 

 swamps. 



Eggs. Clutch, three ; ground-colour greyish-olive to brownish -olive, sometimes 

 dark stone, blotched and spotted with dark brown, often massing at the larger end, 

 with underlying spots of grey ; axis 35-39, diameter 26-28 mm. 



Breeding-season. October to December. 



Distribution and forms. Throughout the Old World. Mathews has separated 

 eight subspecies, as follows : Chlidonias leucopareia leucopareia (Temminck) from 

 South and Central Europe and North Africa (this may be further subdivided when 

 fair amount of material is studied) ; C. I. indica (Stephens) from India, differing 

 in the obviously darker under coloration, especially of the upper-breast, in breeding- 

 plumage and smaller size (here also there may be more than one subspecies later 

 admitted) ; C. I. leggei (Mathews) from Ceylon, small as the preceding but notably 

 paler underneath ; C. 1. delalandii (Mathews) ex Bonaparte MS., from South Africa, 

 easily separable from the typical form in their darker coloration above, ill-defined 

 black cap. dark throat, pronounced white " moustache " and dark grey axillaries, 

 they are larger than the darkest Indian birds ; according to the Rules as now 

 rendered the name delalandii may be considered invalid, so we propose for this race 

 C. 1. sdateri nom. nov. ; C. I. swinhoei (Mathews) from Foochow district, China, agree- 

 ing with C. I. indica in under coloration but with a lighter, almost white, throat and 

 smaller in size ; C. 1. javanica (Horsfield) from Java, for Siamese and Pegu birds, 

 paler than Indian ones, but features not well differentiated yet ; C. 1. fluviatilis 

 (Gould) from East Australia, in its very light upper coloration and notably paler 

 under-surface with ill-defined moustache ; and C. 1. rogersi (Mathews) from North- 

 west and North Australia in its paler coloration, above and below, weaker bill and 

 white axillaries. Nothing has since been written about this species. 



60. Chlidonias leucoptera. WHITE-WINGED MARSH-TERN. 



[Sterna leucoptera Temminck, Manuel d'Orn., p. 483, 1815 (pref. 1814) : Mediterranean Sea. 

 Extra-limital.] 



Mathews, Vol. II., pt. 3, pi. 102, Sept. 20th, 1912. 



Sterna grisea Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (Lond.), Vol. XIII., pt. i., p. 199, 1821 : Java. 

 Hydrochelidon leucoptera belli Mathews, Austral. Av. Rec., Vol. III., pt. 3, p. 55, April 7th, 

 1916 : Lord Howe Island. . 



DISTRIBUTION. Winter visitor to Australia. Extra-limital. 



Adult male in breeding-plumage. Head and neck all round glossy-black like 

 the breast, abdomen, sides of body, axillaries, and under wing-coverts ; spot below 

 the eye white ; back and scapulars dull slaty-black ; lesser wing-coverts white ; 



