LARID.E. 371 



these birds and* cormorants : each mast-head will be garnished with one, 

 the bowsprit has a line of them, and along the sides and taffrail they 

 sit as close as they can find room. When thus in repose, they will 

 permit a close approach, well knowing that the police regulations of 

 the bay prevent their being fired at. Elsewhere they are wary enough. 



688. Sterna Galericulata, Licht. Verz. 1323, 



p. 81, No. 834 ; St. Longirostris, Less. Tr. d'Ornith, 

 p. 621 (?) ; St. Cristata, Swain. Nat. Lib., Vol. 12, 

 PL 30, p. 247. 



UPPER plumage, but for a very slight tinge of grey hardly 

 perceptible, might be termed as white as the under parts, the 

 quills alone being grey, posted as it were with white ; the 

 deep black on the head and front includes half the lores and 

 the eyes, but is interrupted by a white spot on the lower eye- 

 lid ; the feathers of the hind head and nape are lengthened 

 and pointed, so as to form a nuchal crest ; the wings are long, 

 and reach to the end of the tail, with a frosted white appear- 

 ance on their outer webs ; the inner webs are dark-grey on 

 their inner half, and white on their outer, but the stripe of 

 this colour almost disappears on the fourth and fifth quills, 

 whose inner shafts are almost entirely dark-grey, excepting a 

 narrow white edging ; the tail, which is deeply forked, is 

 wbite, both above and below ; bill rich-orange ; feet black 

 and naked for nearly an inch above the tarsus. Length, 20" ; 

 wings, 14" ; tail, base, 7" ; depth of fork, 



Bartlaub quotes this species, the description of which I have bor- 

 rowed from Swainson (loc. cit.), as a native of South Africa. I have 

 not yet seen it. It closely resembles '8. Vdox, but may easily be 

 distinguished from it by the black of the head being continued down 

 to the bill ; whereas S. Velox has a broad white forehead. 



689. Sterna Brachypus, Swain. Nat. Lib., Vol. 



12, p. 252, 



UPPER part of head and back of neck, black ; general colour 

 cinereous, both above and below, but paler and nearly white 

 on the chin ; upper and under tail-coverts, pure white ; tail 

 the same, but the outer web of the two external feathers is 

 deep cinereous, almost sooty-black ; quills blackish-cinereous; 

 the shafts pure white, with the inner web half cinereous, 

 half white ; bill red ; feet orange ; tail one inch longer than 

 the quills. Length, 15"; wing, 11"; tail from the base, 8 ; 

 depth of fork, 4j"; tarsus, J". 



During a drive late one evening across a marsh formed by the 

 celebrated, hot spring called " Brandt Vley," near the town of Wor- 

 cester (South Africa), I observed a tern, new to me, flying in consi- 

 derable numbers over a portion of open water. Owing to the lateness 



