BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 149 



when alive; bill black; legs and feet reddish-brown. Dimensions 

 in mm. : Length, 420; bill, 55; wing, 284; tail, 180; tarsus, 20. 



Male and Female (winter plumage). Similar to summer plum- 

 age save that there is more white on the forehead and the crown is 

 mottled with the same colour. 



Young. Forehead, crown, and nape greyish-black, mottled 

 with white; practically the whole of the upper surface buffy-white 

 to grey, mottled with greyish-black ; under surface white. 



Nestling. " Covered with buffy-white down, tinged with 

 fulvous on the head and neck and mottled with grey on the back " 

 (Buller). 



Nest. A slight depression on the ground among the herbage 

 growing near the sea-shore. Breeds in colonies. 



Eggs. Clutch two usually; inclined to oval in shape; texture 

 fine ; surface faintly glossy ; colour stone-grey, boldly blotched and 

 spotted with umber and dull grey. Dimensions in mm. of a 

 clutch : (1) 46 x 32, (2) 45 x 31. 



Breeding Season. November and December. 



Geographical Distribution. Seas of Tasmania, Australia, and 

 New Zealand. 



Observations. In certain favoured localities the Southern or 

 White-fronted Tern is moderately plentiful round the coast of 

 Tasmania, especially about some of the small rocky islets, on 

 which it breeds. No prettier sight can be witnessed than a flock 

 of this species fishing; the graceful motions and clear-cut way in 

 which the fish are captured are very interesting. 



On its general habits round New Zealand the late Sir W. Buller 

 wrote: "This elegant species is extremely abundant on our 

 coasts, Hocks of a hundred or more being often met with on the 

 sand-banks at the river mouths in association with Gulls and 

 other shore birds of various kinds. The term ' Sea-Swallow ' as 

 applied to this Tern is a very appropriate one, for on watching the 

 evolutions of a flock of these birds one is forcibly reminded of a 

 flight of Swallows coursing in the air. Their aerial manoeuvres are 

 truly beautiful, and the apparent ease with which they dip into 

 the water and capture their finny prey cannot fail to interest an 

 observer. They usually alight on the sandy beach near the edge 

 of the water, and stand so closely packed that 30 or 40 may be 

 obtained at a single shot. They shuffle about with a constant low 

 twittering, and occasionally stretch their wings upwards to their 

 full extent, presenting a very pretty appearance. When fired at, 

 or otherwise alarmed, the whole flock rises simultaneously in the 

 air, crossing and recrossing each other as they continue to hover 

 over the spot, producing at the same time a perfect din with their 

 sharp cries of ' Ki-ki-ki.' Some years ago, when exploring among 

 the shoals and sand-banks of the Great Kaipara Heads or Basin, I 

 observed thousands of these birds, and in this wild and unfre- 

 quented part of the coast they were so fearless that they coursed 



