IBIDORHYNCHUS HYDROCHELIDON 805 



IBIDORHYNCHUS, Vigors, 1831. 



1109. IBIS-BILL. 

 IBIDORHYNCHUS STRUTHERSI. 



HAdorhynchus struthersi, Vigors, P.Z.S. 1831, p. 174; Gould, Cent. B. 



Himal. Mts. pi. 79 ; id. B. of As. vii. pi. 61 ; David and Oust. Oie. 



Chine, p. 456, pi. 118; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiv. p. 335; 



Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 249 ; Falcirostra kaufmanni and 



longipes, Severtz. Turk. Jevotn. pp. 69, 146/147, pi. x. (1873). 

 <$ ad. (Kan-su). Crown, nape, face to the hind part of the eye, 

 fore neck, and a broad band across the breast black ; rest of the head 

 and neck blue-grey becoming white where it meets the black ; upper parts 

 generally buffy French-grey, becoming bluish on the outer primaries, outer 

 wing-coverts, and rump ; upper tail-coverts blackish terminated with blue- 

 grey ; tail ashy blue-grey narrowly barred with blackish, and tipped with 

 black, the outer web of the outermost feathers white broadly barred with 

 black ; primaries with a white spot near the end of the inner web, largely 

 increasing on the inner quills ; under parts, with under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries, pure white ; bill curved, deep crimson ; legs blood-red ; iris 

 crimson. Culmen 3'0, wing 9'3, tail 4'7, tarsus 1*8 inch. Female similar, 

 but with the black portions of the plumage slightly tinged with brown. 

 Young birds lack the blackish on the head and breast. 



Hob. Central Asia, from Western Turkestan east to Tibet,, 

 Mongolia, and China ; the Afridi country, Afghanistan, and: 

 the Himalayas from Kashmir to Upper Assam. 



Is chiefly to be met with singly or in pairs or small parties 

 on the mountain streams, as high as 12,000 feet, and winters in 

 the mountains in spite of the cold. It is said to be rather 

 shy, and when taking wing utters a loud note, and flies very 

 low, close to the water, following the curves of the stream. 

 It certainly breeds in the Himalayas, but its nesting habits 

 and eggs are as yet unknown. 



HYDROCHELIDON, Boie, 1822. 



1110. BLACK TERN. 

 HYDROCHELIDON NIGRA. 



Hydrochelid-on nigra (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 227 (1766); (Naum.), x. 

 p. 189, Taf. 256 ; (Hewitson), ii. p. 488, pi. cxxxv. ; (Gould), B. of 

 E. v. pi. 422 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 75 ; Dresser, viii. p. 327, 

 pi. 592 ; Saunders, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxv.p. 17 ; id. Manual, p. 633 ; 

 Ridgway, p. 46 ; Lilford, vi. p. i. pi. i. ; S. Jissipes, Lath. Ind. Orn. 

 ii. p. 810 (1790 nee. Linn.) 



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