Contribution to the Ornithology of India, S)X. 383 



with melanogastra. I have not at the moment access to Hors- 

 field's orig-inal description and can therefore form no indepen- 

 dant opinion as to whether he is correct or not. But Mr. Gray 

 says they are identical^ and deeming- it " better to err with Gray 

 than^ &c.;" I retain Horsfield's name. 



This species also was excessively common throughout the rivers 

 of the Punjab and the lakes and streams of Sindh. Like the 

 preceding^ this bird only doifs the summer plumage for a very 

 brief space of time. Up to the middle of December^ I have shot 

 it with the black belly and black cap, and again by the early 

 part of February have obtained it in the same garb. In the 

 winter plumage this bird likewise has the bill conspicuously 

 tipped with dusky. I thought at one time that this dusky tip- 

 ping of the bill was a sign of immaturity, but numerous speci- 

 mens obtained at different times have led me to the conclusion 

 that this is a portion of the winter dress. 



988. — Sterna Bergii, LicMenstein, (nee Ueichen- 

 bach, iuJiich=T. cantiacus, Gmelin ; — nee Hartlaubf 

 luhich = T. galericulatuSj Lichtenstein) — Sterna 

 vehx, Bilppell. 



There are four distinct species at any rate, (if not more) of 

 Oceanic Terns which are closely allied and differ chiefly in size, 

 size of bill, and the coloring of the upper parts. 



First there are (1) S. gcdenculata, Lichtenstein, (= 8. cristata, 

 Swainson, and probably S. elegans, Gamb., and 8. comata, PhiL 

 et Landb.) and (3) iiS'. maxima, Bodd, [=8. cayennensis, Gm, 

 and probably 8. regia, Gamb.) which in the breeding season 

 have the whole front of the head down to the beak, black; the 

 bill is a yellowish red, and the upper parts of a very pale silvery 

 grey becoming almost white. These have wings respectively of 

 from 11'5 to 12, and from 14 to 15-5; in both the bill at 

 front is from 3'4 to 3'5, but that of the former species is com- 

 paratively very slender. These belong to the Coasts of Africa and 

 America ; our bird, which is a peculiarly dark grey above, has 

 a very robust bill, and a broad white frontal band even in the 

 breeding season, is certainly not referable to either of these 

 species ; next there is (3) 8terna pelecanoides , King, = ^S". 

 rissa, Muller = 8. nigripennis, Bonap, and possibly cristata, 

 Stephen, and if so, should stand by this latter name. This belongs 

 to the same sub-group as our bird, and has the forehead white at 

 all seasons. It differs from our bird in its somewhat smaller size, 

 and somewhat less dark upper parts. Schlegel gives the wing in 

 this species at from nearly 13 to a little less than 14, and the 

 bill from a little more than 2 to nearly 2-5. The bill is yellow 



