and Rectifications of Synonymy. 39 



in Java/ and Gould^ B. Austr. Hab, Java, Philippines, and North 

 Australia. In the India Museum are two species of this 

 genus collected in Java by Dr. Horsfield, and which were discri- 

 minated by him as two varieties of his A.javanica, subsequently 

 identified by him with A. arcuata, Cuv. The other variety is 

 D. arcuata (vera), v. Mareca aivsuree, Sykes ; being currently 

 designated " Widgeon " by Anglo-Indians. The latter is exceed- 

 ingly common throughout India, Burma, and the Malay coun- 

 tries ; whereas D. vagans is unknown in India, and probably 

 belongs chiefly to Northern Australia. D. major, Jerdon, has 

 only hitherto been observed in India properly so called*; and 

 D. vagans is much such a bird as might result from a cross be- 

 tween D. major and D. arcuata. 



Certain of Mr. Gould^s Australian Terns appear to be identical 

 with previously described species inhabiting the shores of the 

 Indian Ocean. Thus — 



Sylochelidon strenua, Gould, does not differ from specimens of 

 S. caspia, from India and Africa, with which I have compared it. 

 Thalasseus pelecanoides, King, apud Gould, I take to be 

 Sterna cristata, Stephens (nee Swainson), and ;S. velox, Biippell. 

 This species I have seen from the Tenasserim coast and from 

 the Maldives. 



T. torresii, Gould, is Steima media, Horsfield, hengalensis, 

 Lesson, affinis, Biippell. As an Indian bird, I have only seen 

 it from the southern portion of the Bay of Bengal. It is often 

 contained in collections from Malacca, and it is the Sterna 

 No. 402 of Dr. Jerdon^s first Catalogue. 



Sterna gracilis, Gould, I have been unable to compare with 

 S. dougalli, Montagu, with which it would seem, judging from 

 the figures, to be identical. /S". dougalli is stated to occur on 

 the Coromandel coast, but I have not seen an Indian specimen ; 

 so perhaps this may be Gould's Australian species, supposing 

 the latter to be really different from the European one. 



Both Onychoprion anasthcetus (Scopoli, v. panayana, Gmelin) 

 and O. melanauclien (Temm.) occur in the Bay of Bengal, the 

 latter especially about the Nicobar Islands, where it is said to 



* We believe Mr. Sclater has recently recoguized it iu a collection from 

 Madagascar. — Ed . 



