SWIFT TERN. 



RUPPELL'S TERN. 



Sterna velox. KUPPELL. 



Sterna ? Velox Swift. 



THIS species has occurred in Europe, in Hungary; and in 

 Africa is found from the Bed Sea to the Cape of Grood Hope. 



In Ireland one of these birds was shot, as recorded by the 

 late William Thompson, Esq., of Belfast, in the 'Annals and 

 Magazine of Natural History,' at Sutton, near Dublin, in the 

 end of December, 1846, and two others were seen in company 

 with it at the time. 



Like all the others of their class, they possess great powers 

 of flight, and their rapid wheelings and turnings are performed 

 with every variety of graceful attitude. It would seem almost 

 paradoxical to attribute superior qualities in this respect to 

 one of these birds over others, where all are so highly gifted, 

 but the name assigned to this Tern would appear to imply 

 that it is 'kat exoken,' the swift one the swiftest of the 

 swift, where all are swift the lightest of the light-winged, 

 where all are light-winged. 



Male; length, one foot eight inches; bill, yellowish horn- 

 colour. Forehead, white; crown, neck on the back, and nape, 

 black; chin, throat, and breast, white; back, rather dark 

 bluish grey. The wings extend to the end of the longest 

 feathers of the tail; greater and lesser wing coverts, rather 

 dark bluish grey; primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, grey; 

 greater and lesser under wing coverts, white. Legs and toes, 

 black j webs, black. 



