Obituary. 303 



edition) Linnseus bas described tbe Tern in tbe following 

 words : — 



" a rostro ad sinciput caput nigrum usque ad oculos, 

 tota alias alba cura levissima ciuerei mixtura. rostrum 

 et pedes sanguinei, supra femoi'a nudi. cauda bifurcata 

 ad basin acutissima. pedes palmipedes, ungues nigri, 

 postico" .... [?J. 



"^ Rostrum subulatum, compressum, acutum, levissima 

 arcuatum superiori maxilla, apice nigricante alias rubro. 

 nares oblongse lineares, ita ut per utraque appareat 

 foramen et aer. gibbus in inferior! maxilla, digitus 

 medius longissimus. hinc proximus exterior dimidio 

 brevior, posticus minimus." 



There is no doubt that this refers to the Common Tern 

 (not the Arctic). But there is also another thing to be 

 observed. We find first a general description which corre- 

 sponds to some extent with that in the 'Fauna Svecica/and 

 in this description as well it is briefly stated : " rostrum et 

 pedes sanguinei.'^ Then follows another paragraph with a 

 more detailed description of bill and feet^ and in that it is 

 also mentioned, ^' apice nigricante alias rubro." In the 

 * Fauna Svecica ' this appeared to him less necessary and 

 was omitted. 



I therefore have come to the conclusion that Linnaeus 

 was referring to the Common Tern and not the Arctic when 

 he described Sterna hirundo in 1758. 



XVI. — Obituary. 



Edward Adrian Wilson. 



(Plate VIII.) 



The terrible Antarctic disaster, which caused such deep 

 and universal sorrow throughout the length and breadth of 

 the civilised world, has deprived us of one of our most able 

 and distinguished naturalists. How Dr. Wilson, principal 



