WHITE-FACED TERNLET. 91 



65. Sternula nereis. WHITE-FACED TERNLET. 



Gould, Vol. VII., pi. 29 (pt. xiv.), March 1st, 1844. Mathews, Vol. II., pt. 4, pi. 112, Nov. 

 1st, 1912. 



Sternula nereis Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1842, p. 140, Feb. 1843 : Bass Straits. 

 Sterna nereis horni Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 209, Jan. 31st, 1912 : Kalgan River, 

 South-west Australia. 

 DISTRIBUTION. Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, South- and mid-West Australia. 



Adult male in breeding -plumage. Wings, scapulars, mantle, and middle of back 

 silvery -grey, becoming white on the upper tail-coverts and tail ; outermost primary- 

 quills slightly edged with darker on the outer web, and a shade of the same colour 

 on the inner web adjoining the shaft ; a spot in front of the eye, hinder part of 

 the crown, and nape black ; fore-head to the middle of the crown, lores, and entire 

 under-surface silvery -white including the axillaries, under wing-coverts, and under 

 tail-coverts ; bill and feet orange-yellow, claws brown ; eyes black. Total length 

 262 mm. ; culmen 34, wing 185, tail 96, tarsus 18. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 



Adult in winter -plumage. Similar to the adult in breeding-plumage, but the 

 black in front above the eye less pronounced. 



Immature. Top of head white, nape dull black, tail greyish, otherwise as in 

 adult ; iris black, legs brown tinged with yellow, bill olive-brown tinged with yellow 

 at gape. 



Nestling (flying). Fore-head and fore-part of head white, back of head and 

 neck blackish-brown and white tipped with buff ; primaries and primary -coverts 

 deep grey, most of the inner webs white ; greater series of wing-coverts dark grey, 

 median and lesser lighter grey, some of the median with brown spots ; feathers of 

 back and scapulars with brown spots and tipped with buff ; tail white, faint brown 

 tips to centre feathers. 



Nestling. Covered with white, black and buff down on the upper-surface, with 

 irregular, zigzag short lines and spots, especially on the head and sides of the face, 

 the dark pattern less defined on the body where the down is longer ; under-surface 

 pure white. 



Nest. A depression in the sand. 



Eggs. Clutch, two ; ground-colour pale stone, spotted with dark brown, 

 chestnut, and lavender ; axis 34-37 mm., diameter 25-26. 



Breeding -season. November. (Walker Island, Bass Straits.) December, 

 February. (Mud Island.) 



Distribution and forms. Southern extra-tropical Australia, New Caledonia and 

 New Zealand. Four forms have been separated : S. n. nereis Gould, from Eastern 

 Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia ; S. n. horni Mathews, from 

 South-west Australia, by its paler upper coloration ; S. n. exsul Mathews, from 

 New Caledonia, by its smaller size, average male wing 171 mm. ; and S. n. davisce 

 Mathews and Iredale, from New Zealand, by its darker coloration and larger size ; 

 average male wing 200 mm. 



Genus PELECANOPUS. 



Pelecanopus Wagler, Isis, 1832, heft 3, col. 277, March. Type (by monotypy) : Sterna 

 pelecanoides King. 



Large Terns with long stout bills, long tails, long wings and short legs, and 

 decided occipital crest in their breeding-plumage. The diagnostic features of this 

 genus are the long stout bills, long tails, and small feet. The metatarsus is about 

 half the length of the culmen, which is longer than the head, while the tail is just 

 about half the length of the wing. The tarsus is scutellate in front, and reticulate 



