OF THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS. 501 



transverse white or rufescent white bars , about three on the 

 first primary, four on the next, and five or six on the others; in 

 some specimens the outer webs are quite unbarred and unspotted ; 

 in others they have distinct buffy bars or spots corresponding 

 with the bars on the inner webs, more or less bordered above 

 and below with a blackish brown line ; in some specimens the 

 greater coverts are like the primaries, and exhibit similar spots 

 on their outer webs ; in others they are spotless, and in others 

 again the whole visible portion of them is precisely like the 

 lesser and median coverts. 



986 bis.— Sterna gracilis, Gould. 



Mr. Howard Saunders, whose great special knowledge of this 

 group is well known, has identified four Terns sent from the 

 Andamaus as S. paradisea, Briinnich, and says that they are 

 absolutely identical with English, American, Spanish, and 

 African specimens. I doubted, as already noted (p. 317), 

 whether the specimens I had should be referred to paradisea or 

 gracilis, and I have now no doubt that our birds are the same 

 as those seen by Mr. Saunders, and that gracilis must be excised 

 from our list and replaced by 986 ter. — Sterna paradisea, 

 Brim. 



A. 0. H. 



Catalogue of X\t gtri|tte.* 



By R. Bowdler Sharpe. F.L.S., F.Z.S. &c, &c. 



Every working ornithologist will hail with delight, this, the 

 first volume of Mr. Sharpe's great contemplated work, a 

 descriptive catalogue of every known species of bird. 



The present volume, a goodly octavo of some 500 pages of 

 close printing, comprises the known species of diurnal birds of 

 prey, 377 in number. 



Mr. Sharpe's plan is briefly as follows : — 



He defines the order, and gives a synopsis of the sub-orders 

 it includes ; he defines each sub-order, and gives a synopsis of 

 the families it contains ; he defines each family, and gives a key 

 to the genera it comprises, and then he gives a key to each 

 species included in the genus. 



Having got down to the species, he gives its full synonymy 

 with the date of each name quoted, a full description with 



* Published by B. Quaritch, 15, Piccadilly. W. London. 



