794 MR. H. SAUNDERS ON THE LARID.E. [NoV. 20, 



9. Reports on the Collections of Birds made during the 

 Voyage of H.M.S. ' Challenger.'— No. V. On the 

 Laridcs collected during the Expedition. By Howard 

 Saunders, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived October 25, 1877.] 



At the request of Mr. Sclater, I have undertaken with much 

 pleasure the determination of the Laridce collected during the ex- 

 pedition of H.M.S. ' Challenger,' amounting in all to 47 specimens. 

 It was hardly to be expected that amongst these any previously un- 

 described species would be found ; but in consequence of the careful 

 manner in which the specimens have been catalogued and labelled 

 by Mr. John Murray, many of them are of great value in increasing 

 our knowledge of the geographical distribution of the Oceanic birds. 

 It is highly desirable that more attention should be devoted to this 

 subject, instead of being limited, iis is so often the case, to land birds 

 only ; and of the results which would probably reward such attention 

 we may judge from the present small collection, which contain* 

 examples of 9 species, represented by 31 specimens, of Terns {Sfe?-- 

 riince), of 5 species, rejjresented by 11 specimens, of Gulls {Larmce), 

 and of 3 species, represented by 5 specimens, of Skua gulls {Sterco- 

 rariince) ; total 1 7 species, 47 specimens. Of these species, five have 

 been obtained in absolutely new localities (three of them from places 

 where they could hardly be expected to occur), whilst many of the 

 other species derive unusual interest from the fact of their range being 

 restricted to such seldom-visited spots as the rocks and islands of the 

 South Atlantic. On the whole this collection of Laridae, although 

 small in numbers, is one of the most productive of knowledge which 

 has yet been made by any of our national expeditions. 



1. Hydrochelidon hybrida (Pallas). 



Sterna hybrida. Pall. Zoog. Rosso-As. ii. p. 338 (1811). 



Hydrochelidon hybrida. Gray, Gen. B. iii. p. 660 ; Saunders, 

 P.Z. S. 1876, p. 640. 



[No. 364. ?. Manila. January 1 lth-1 4th, 1875. Eyes black, 

 feet dark red ; stomach had Crustacea.] 



A nearly adult specimen, the head being slightly streaked with 

 black. 



2. Sterna virgata. Cab. 



Sterna virgata, Cabanis, J. f. Orn. 1875, p. 449; Saunders, 

 P. Z. S. 1876, p. 646. 



[I specimen marked X on label. Christmas Harbour, Kerguelen 

 Island. 



1 specimen marked 9 on label. Ditto, ditto. 



1 „ Ditto, ditto. 



I ,, Betsey Cove, ditto.] 

 The first is nearly adult ; but the black head is not yet fully 



