88 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



greyish -brown, the bill black, iris brown, feet dark reddish -black. The nape and 

 head blackish -brown, and a grey band along the upper wing-coverts. 



Nestling. 11 Channel Rock, Torres Straits, June 1881 : Iris black, bill black, 

 legs and feet grey." The bill is black ; the whole of the top of head, taking in the 

 eyes, nape and back of neck black with white tips, the black in front of the eye and 

 the ear-coverts more distinctly marked. Back of the neck pure white ; upper back 

 black or dark brown and white spottings, lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 pale grey with indistinct white tips ; tail -feathers grey, with brown triangular spots 

 near the apex, which is white-tipped ; greater wing-coverts dark grey, median and 

 lesser pale grey with lighter tips, primary-quills dark ashy-grey, the outer ones 

 almost black, inner half of inner webs pure white, inner secondaries and long 

 scapulars brownish spotted with white, and with grey base and white tips ; all the 

 under-surface pure white. 



Young in down. Brown and buffish-white mixed above and throat ; breast 

 and belly whitish ; feet and bill pink ; eyes dark. 



Nest. A slight depression (about 5 inches across by 1 inch deep) in the sand 

 or ridge of dead coral, sometimes partially lined with fine pieces of coral shells, etc. 

 Nests in colonies. 



Eggs. Clutch, two ; ground-colour buff or stone, boldly marked with reddish- 

 brown, to very light grey, blotches ; axis 40-41 mm., diameter 29. 



Breeding season. April, June, November, December. 



Distribution and forms. Described from Great Britain, breeds in Eastern North 

 America, through Europe, North Africa, Asia, Australia, New Caledonia, etc., etc. 

 The Palaearctic and Nearctic forms are classed together as 8. d. dougallii Montagu, 

 but probably there is a confusion of distinct subspecies in this case ; all the Eastern 

 birds used to be also classed as one subspecies, but Mathews has separated four 

 which are easily recognisable, thus : S. d. bangsi Mathews from Foochow, China, 

 and the Liu Kiu Islands with a short stout bill, culmen 36-37 mm. ; 8. d. korustes 

 (Hume) from the Andamans, with a small weak bill, culmen not exceeding 36 mm. ; 

 8. d. arideensis Mathews, from the Seychelles Group with short slender bills, shorter 

 wings and darker upper coloration than preceding ; and 8. d. gracilis Gould from 

 Australia and New Caledonia with longer slender bills reaching 42.5 mm. and paler 

 coloration. 



Genus GYGISTERNA. 



Qygiaterna Mathews, Birds Austr., Vol. II., pt. 4, p. 365, Nov. 1st, 1912. Type (by original 

 designation) : Sterna sumatrana tempi Mathews. 



Medium Terns with long bills, long wings, very long tails and small legs and 

 feet. The bill is long and slender, twice the length of the tarsus. There is no crest, 

 but a black nape band which may be erectile. The wings are long and the tail has 

 very lengthened streamers. The legs are stronger, the tarsus scutellate in front, and 

 reticulate behind, the toes long, the webs strongly incised. Hind -toe short. 



Coloration pale grey above with a black line through the eye and round the 

 head ; below white. 



63. Gygisterna sumatrana. BLACK- NAPED TERN. 



[Sterna sumatrana Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. (Lond.), Vol. XIII., pt. n., p. 329, 1822 : Sumatra. 

 Extra-limital.] 



Gould, Vol. VII., pi. 28 (pt, xxm.), June 1st, 1846. Mathews, Vol. II., pt. 4, pi. 110, Nov. 

 1st, 1912. 



Sterna sumatrana tempi Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 210, Jan. 31st, 1912 : Torres 

 Straits, Queensland. 



DISTRIBUTION. Northern Australia. 



