FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF THE SOUTH KONKAN. 95 



3rd March 1880, Female.— Length, 13£ ; wing, 10; tail, 5 



One of the specimens from Ratnagiri, a young male, 

 may, Mr. Hume thinks, have been tibetana of Saunders. 

 I have not recorded its measurements. 



These Terns appear on the Coast at intervals during the cold 

 season in large flocks. My specimens were got in October and 

 March. Occasionally a few individuals of Sterna media are 

 mixed up with these flocks, and once only I found a saundersi 

 amongst them. Sometimes they arrive in an utterly exhausted 

 condition, too weak to make any attempt at escape when 

 caught. One September, at Harnai, hundreds so arrived and 

 were caught by the fishermen and their boys, and sold in the 

 bazar for food. Many more fell victims to the rapacity of the 

 Sea Eagles at Suvamdurg, as testified by the discovery of 

 numerous skeletons about and below their nest, and for a year 

 and more afterwards the walls of the grand old fort were 

 covered here and there with the remains of these Terns. 



Similarly at Malvan last February a large flock of distressed 

 Terns arrived while I was there, but being left in peace they 

 recovered their strength in a day or two. They appear to 

 choose an open sandy beach and to return there regularly every 

 evening at sunset, in small parties for a week or so, and then 

 suddenly to vanish altogether. 



988 ter.— Sterna saundersi, Hume. 



Ratnagiri. 



A single Ternlet, which Mr. Hume discriminated as above, 

 was got by my shikaree at Ratnagiri, in October 1879, amongst 

 a flock of albigena. I did not record its measurements. 



989.— Sterna bergii, Licht. 



Vijaydurg. I I 



Mlavan. | 



Common about the rocks of Malvan, where it seems to be 

 always present in the cold weather. 



A pair were got for Mr. Crawford at Vijaydurg. I have not 

 observed it yet at any of the ports north of this locality. 



990.— Sterna media, Horsf. 



Peve. I 



Vijaydurg. | 



Appears here and there all down the Coast, but not in large 

 flocks like albigena. A few individuals are often seen associ- 

 ated with the latter. 



3rd April 1879, Male. — Length, 16^; wing, llf ; tail, 6| ; 

 tarsus, 1 ; bill, 2£. Legs black ; bill yellow ; irides brown ; 

 orbits black ; wings reach exactly to end of tail. 



