818 STERNA 



1125. SOOTY TERN. 

 STERNA FULIGINOSA. 



Sterna fuliginosa, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 605 (1788) ; Naum. xiii. p. 267, 

 Ta'f. 387 ; Wils. Am. Orn. viii. p. 145, pi. 72, fig. 1 : Gould, B. of 

 Austral, vii. pi. 32 ; Temm. and Schlegel, Faun. Jap. Aves, p. 133, 

 pi. 89 ; (David and Oust.), Ois. Chine, p. 528 ; Dresser, viii. 

 p. 307, pi. 587 ; Saunders, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxv. p. 106 ; id. Manual, 

 p. 653 ; Kidgway, p. 45 ; Lilford, vi. p. 26, pi. 11 ; Blanf. F. Brit. 

 Ind. Birds, iv. p. 324. 



<$ ad. (Florida Keys). Forehead, sides of head to the eye, chin, 

 throat, and entire under parts white ; crown, a stripe from the base of the 

 bill through the eye, nape, hind neck, and upper parts, with the tail black, 

 the mantle tinged with brown ; the outermost feather on each side of the 

 tail greyish black towards the end of the inner web, otherwise white ; bill 

 and legs black ; iris reddish brown. Culmen 1*9, wing 11 '2, tail 7'0, 

 tarsus 0*92 inch. In winter the lores and crown are marked with white. 



Hob. Atlantic, chiefly on the 'southern islands, the southern 

 coasts of North America, and as far south as Chili ; several parts 

 of the African coasts ; rarer on the coasts of Asia, but is found 

 as far south as Australia ; very rare on the Pacific coasts of 

 America, but has been recorded from the Aleutian Islands and 

 Western Mexico. Has been obtained three times in England, 

 and thrice on the continent of Europe. 



Is essentially a marine bird, and nests in large communities 

 on many of the tropical and subtropical islands, depositing as a 

 rale a single egg on the ground. The eggs are white or cream- 

 buff in ground-colour, the shell-markings purplish grey, and the 

 surface spots and blotches deep red ; some are but slightly 

 marked, but others are very boldly blotched. In size they 

 measure about 2*0 by T39. 



1126. PANAYAN TERN. 

 STERNA AIOGSTHETA. 



Sterna ancestheta, Scop. Del. Faun, et Flor. In. i. p. 92, No. 72 (1786) ; 

 Seebohm, B. Jap. Emp. p. 301 ; Saunders, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxv. 

 p. 101 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 323 ; ti. panaya, Lath. 

 Ind. Orn. p. 808 (1790) ; (Gould), B. of Austral, vii. pi. 33. 



ad. (Paternoster Island). Differs from S. fuliginosa in being 

 smaller, in having the hind neck and fore back greyish white, the upper 

 parts paler, blackish slate, and the webbing of the feet different, not con- 

 tinued to the claws, but only to the last joint of the toes. Culmen 1-7, 

 wing 10'3, tail 8'3, tarsus 0'8 inch. 



