816 STERNA 



Sterne naine, French ; Catalinita, Moncheta, Span. ; Fraticello, 

 Ital. ; Zwerg-Meerschwalbe, German ; Dwerg-zcezwaluw, Dutch \ 

 Dvcerg-Ternc, Dan. ; Smdtarna, Swed. ; Malay a- Marty schka, 

 Malaya-Kraschka, Russ. 



ad, (England). Forehead white ; a stripe from the base of the bill 

 through, the eye, crown, and nape deep black ; mantle and upper rump 

 dark pearl-grey ; lower rump, tail-coverts, tail, and entire under parts pure 

 white ; first three primaries with blackish shafts, and blackish in colour, 

 broadly margined on the inner web with white ; bill yellow tipped with 

 black ; legs light orange ; iris brown. Culmen 1*4, wing 6 '75, tail 3'8, 

 the lateral feathers 1'95 longer than the middle ones, tarsus 0'6 inch. 

 In winter the upper parts are rather darker, and more white on the 

 forehead. 



Hal. Europe generally, from Southern Sweden to the Mediter- 

 ranean, but rarer in the north; Britain in summer; North 

 Africa and the West Coast down to the Cape in winter ; Asia 

 east to India and Burma, and south in winter as far as Java. In 

 America it is replaced by a nearly allied species, S. antillarum. 



In general habits it differs but little from the Common Tern, 

 and is equally graceful on the wing. It usually frequents the 

 sea coasts, though it is not unfrequently seen on inland waters, 

 Its food consists of small fishes, aquatic insects, and larvae, and 

 its note is a shrill, somewhat harsh kreeJc, or Jcree. Its 2 to 3 eggs 

 are deposited on the sand or shingle, usually late in May or 

 early in June, and are greyish yellow or stone-ochre in ground- 

 colour, somewhat sparingly covered with violet-grey shell- 

 markings and blackish brown surface spots, and measure about 

 T28 by 0-92. 



The young of this and all the preceding Terns resemble the 

 adult in winter dress, but have the upper parts marked or 

 mottled with buff, dusky brown, or blackish. 



1123. ASIATIC LITTLE TERN. 

 STERNA SINENSIS. 



Sterna sinensis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 608 (1788) ; (David and Oust.), 

 Ois. Chine, p. 527 ; (Seebohm), B. Jap. Emp. p. 298 ; Saunders, 

 Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxv. p. 113 ; (Tacz.), F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 1014 ; 

 Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 320 ; Sternula placens, Gould,. 

 Ann. Nat. Hist. viii. p. 192 (1871) ; id. B. N. Guin. v. pi. 72. 



