STERNA 813 



Is essentially a marine bird, frequenting the coast, but has 

 been recorded as nesting near salt water on a moorland loch, 

 yet this is very exceptional. It feeds, like its allies, on small 

 fish, its flight is strong and rapid, and its note is a loud harsh 

 Jcirrhitt, kirhitt. It nests in communities, usually in sandy places 

 near the sea, its 2 or 3 eggs being deposited in a depression in 

 the ground, usually in May or June. These are subject to con- 

 siderable variation, the ground-colour varying from white to 

 stone-buff, the shell-markings being purplish or pale brownish 

 grey, and the surface spots and blotches, which are in some 

 more pronounced than in others, are blackish brown ; some 

 have peculiar hieroglyphic streaks, as if drawn with a pen. In 

 size they measure about 2'05 by T42. 



1119. CASPIAN TERN. 

 STERNA CASPIA. 



Sterna caspia, Pal]. Nov. Comm. Petrop. xiv. p. 582, tab. xxii. fig. 2, 

 (1770) ; Naum. x. p. 18, Taf. 248 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 477, pi. cxxxi. 

 figs. 2, 3 ; Gould, B. of E. v. pi. 414 ; (id.), B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 68 ; 

 Dresser, viii. p. 289, pi. 584 ; (David and Oust.), Ois. Chine, p. 522 ; 

 (Saunders), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxv. p. 32 ; id. Manual, p. 641 ; 

 Lilford, vi. p. 11, pi. 5 ; (Blanf.), F. Brit, Ind. Birds, iv. p. 309 ; 

 (Tacz.), F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 1006 ; 8. tschegrava, Lepechin, Nov. Comm. 

 Petrop. xiv. p. 500 (1770) ; Bidgway, p. 39 ; S. strenuus (Gould), 

 P.Z.S. 1846, p. 21 j (id.), B. of Austral, vii.pl. 22. 



Sterne tschegrava, French ; Garnica, Span. ; Beccapesci mag- 

 giore, Ital. ; Raub-Meerschwalbe, German ; Reus-Zeezwaluw, 

 Dutch ; Rov-Terne, Dan.; Skrantarna, Swed. ; Raukutirra, Finn. ; 

 Kraslikti-tschegravdy Russ. ; Abou-Belaha, Arab. ; Rekra, in Sind. 



< ad. (Dobrudscha). Crown to just below the eye and nape glossy 

 black ; nuchal feathers elongated ; mantle French -grey; rest of upper 

 parts, tail, and under parts white ; quills hoary grey, the margins of the 

 inner webs slate-grey ; bill bright coral-red ; blackish at the tip ; legs black ; 

 iris dark brown. Culmeri 2'9, wing 15 '5, tail 6'0, outer feathers 1'3 longer 

 than the middle ones, tarsus 1*8 inch. In winter the crown is white 

 striped with black ; a blackish patch in front of the eye ; bill orange-red, 

 tipped with horn-colour. 



Ha~b. Europe, north to the head^of the Gulf of Bothnia ; an 

 irregular visitor to England; Africa south to the Cape and 

 Madagascar; Asia, north to Southern Dauria, east to China, 

 south to India, Ceylon, and Burma; the Malay Archipelago, 

 Australia, and New Zealand ; North America generally, rarer 



