GULL-BILLED TERN. I I 



Eggs. Three in number. Ground-colour deep clay 01 

 stone-buff with an olive shade, spotted with chocolate-brown, 

 deepening to blackish and forming irregular blotches on 

 different parts of the egg, as much in the middle as towards 

 the end of the latter. The underlying marks of grey are not 

 very evident. Axis, i*35-i'45; diam., o^-rc^. 



THE GULL-BILLED TERNS. GENUS GELOCHELIDON. 



Gelochelidon, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 774 (1831.) 



Type, G. anglica (Mont.) 



In this genus the outer tail-feathers are very pointed, and 

 exceed the others in length. The bill is very stout and obtuse ; 

 the tarsus is longer than in most of the Terns, and exceeds 

 the middle toe and claw in length ; the tail is short, being 

 less than half the length of the wing. 



The single species, G. anglica, is found in the temperate and 

 warm portions of the Atlantic Ocean on both sides, also in the 

 Indian Ocean and Australian seas, but it is not known from 

 the Pacific side of America. 



I. THE GULL-BILLED TERN. GELOCHELIDON ANGLICA. 



Sterna anglica, Mont. Orn, Diet. Suppl. (1813); Dresser, B. 



Eur. viii. p. 295, pi. 585 (1877); B. O. U. List Brit. B. 



p. 182 (1883); Saunders, ed. Yarrell's Brit B. iii. p. 531 



(1884); Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 263 (1885); 



Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 623 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. 



Brit. B. part xxix. (1894). 

 Gelochelidon anglica, Macgill. Brit. B. v. p. 666 (1852); 



Saunders, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxv. p. 25 (1896). 



(Plate XCVL] 



Adult Male. General colour above pearly-grey, including the 

 wings and tail, thlT outer feathers of the latter inclining to 

 greyish-white on the outer webs ; quills darker ashy-grey, 

 frosted with pearly-grey externally, the primaries with white 

 shafts and a great deal of white along the inner web; 

 secondaries narrowly edged with white at the tips ; head and 



