190 LABILE. 



The eggs of the Aleutian Tern are of an oval form, somewhat 

 pointed at the small end. The ground-colour is olive-buff, and this 

 is marked with spots and blotches of dark chocolate or blackish 

 brown. On two examples, the blotches are more or less confluent 

 over the whole shell ; on a third, the blotches are smaller in size and 

 chiefly confined to a broad irregular band round the larger end. 

 The underlying markings are inconspicuous and of a pale purple 

 colour. Three specimens measure respectively : 1-6 by 1*1 ; 1'57 

 by 1-17; 1-67 by 1-15. 



1. Alaska (Smiths. Inst.}. Saunders Coll. 



2. Stewart Island, June (Henshaiv Coll.}. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



Sterna lunata, Peale. 

 (Plate XIV. fig. 8.) 



Sterna lunata, Lister, P. Z. S. 1891, p. 296; Saunders, Cat. Birds 

 B. M. xxv. p. 100 (1896) ; Sharpe, Hand-L i. p. 136 (1899). 



The eggs of the Lunated Tern are of a broad, blunt oval form. 

 The ground is of a creamy- white colour, very faintly tinged with 

 pink, and this is pretty closely marked with well-defined small 

 spots and blotches of reddish brown. The underlying markings, 

 which are of a pale purple colour, are numerous and sometimes 

 consist of large smears, but usually they are small. Four examples 

 measure respectively: 1'53 by 1-17; 1'62 by 1-26 ; 1-7 by 1-22; 

 1-62 by 1-2. 



4. Phoenix Island, Pacific Ocean J. J. Lister, Esq. [P.]. 



(.7. J. Lister}. 



Sterna anaestheta, Scop. 



Onychoprion panaya, Macgillivray, Voy. ' Rattlesnake? ii. p. 359 (1852). 

 Haliplana panaya, Salvin, Ibis, 1864, p. 381. 



Onychoprion pauavensis, Gould, Handb. Birds Austr. ii. p. 411 (1865). 

 Sterna panaya, Finsch fy Hartl. Fauna Centralpolyn. p. 228, taf. iv. 



figs. 1-3 (1867). 

 Sterna ansestheta, Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 1040 (1880) ; Baird, Brewer # 



Ridgw. Water Birds N. Am. ii. p. 316 (1884); Milne-Edwards $ 



Grandidier, Hist. Nat. Madag., Ois. ii. p. 658, pi. 308. fig. 6 (1885) ; 



North, Nests # Eggs Austr. Birds, p. 356 (1889) ; Gates ed. Hume, 



Nests $ Eggs Ind.'B. iii. p. 300 (1890) ; Saunders, Cat. Birds B. M. 



xxv. p. 101 (1896) ; Seebohm, Eggs of Brit. Birds, p. 105, pi. 31. 



fig. 6 (1896) ; Sharps, Hand-l. i. p. 136 (1899). 



The eggs of the Panayan Tern are usually of a blunt oval form, 

 but some are rather pointed at the smaller end. The ground 

 varies from cream-colour to rich pinkish buff, and this is marked 

 with specks, spots and blotches of rich reddish brown. These 

 markings are not very thickly distributed over the shell, nor are 

 they of very large size, but they are distinct and sharply defined, and 

 it is seldom that two or more markings are confluent. The under- 

 lying markings are of a pale purple colour and are seldom very 



