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' "■ t few feet of OB 

 Uieir apparent u^*- ■ 



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more being L...aei 

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'•"mn-colour. They are 



rbaracter: some have tie 



• others hue the mark 



dark blotches, coverii? 



r , h light ^^"^ 



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an 



^. Museum ^^"^ ■« ; 

 ■ • of dark brown ; a" 



by Mr. Potts Witt 



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. r.f conflii'-- 'P " 



bro^ 



colour 



Oedek ANSERES.] 



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 ^ 



[Eam. LAEID^. 



STEENA ANTAECTICA. 



(GREY TERN.) 



Sterna antarctica^ Wagler, Isis, 1832, p. 1223. 



HydroclieUdon albostriata^ Gray, Voy, Ereb. & Terr., Birds, p. 19, pi. 21 (1844). 



Sternula antarctica, Bonap. C. E. xlii. p. 773.(1856). 



Hydrochelidon alMstriata^ Bonap. C. R. xlii. p. 773 (1856). 



Sterna cinerea^ Ellman, Zool. 1861, p. 7473. 



Hydrochelidon hyhrida^ Finsch, J. f. 0. 1867, p. 347. 



Native name. — Tara. 



Ad. cestiv, supr^ saturate cinereus^ uropygio conspicue albo : capite summo nuchaque nigris : linea faciali a 



rostri basi directe per rcgionem paroticam ducta^, alba : gcnis et corpora subtus toto pulclire cinereisj 

 subcaudalibus albis : remigibus extus cinerascentibus^ intus albis, scapis albis, primario primo extus 

 nigricante : cauda dilute cinered^ rectricibus versus basin albisj rectrice extima fere omnino alba^ versus 

 apicem cinerasceute : rostro Isete flavo : pedibus Isete flavis_, unguibus saturate brunneis : iride nigra. 



Ad. Mem, similis ptilosi sestivse^ sed fronte et pileo cinerascenti-albis^ nigro variis. 



Juv. pileo suxnmo et lateral! saturate cinerascentibus : linea a basi rostri per oculum ducta et ad torquem 



nuchalem angustam conjuncta nigricante^ albo varia : tectricibus alarum^ scapularibus et secundariis 

 intimis brunneo subterminaliter notatis : rostro nigro, versus apicem brunnescente : pedibus sordide 

 flavis. 



Adult in summer. Top and sides of the head and nape velvety black ; from the gape a broad streak of white 

 passes under the eyes, and is continued to the nape, forming a border to the black plumage; upper and 

 lower tail-coverts pure white ; the rest of the body beautiful pearl-grey, darker on the upper surface ; 

 wing-feathers darker grey, with white shafts, the first primary margined on the outer web ivith dusky 

 black ; tail-feathers dark pearl-grey, the outermost ones inclining to white, and all of them white on 

 their under surface. Irides black; bill bright yellow, sometimes shaded with brown towards the base 

 of the upper mandible ; legs and feet bright yellow, the claws dark brown. Total length 12 inches ; wing, 

 from flexure, 10*25 ; tail 4'5 (middle feather 175 inch shorter) ; bill, along the ridge I'l, along the edge 

 of lower mandible 1*5 j tarsus -6; middle toe and claw 1 ; hind toe and claw '2. 



■I 



Adult in winter. Differs only in having the forehead and crown greyish white, mottled with black. 



Young. Top and sides of the head dark ash-grey ; the l6res, a mark beyond the eyes, and a narrow nuchal 

 collar obscurely mottled with black ; upper wing-coverts, scapulars, and long inner secondaries with a 

 subterminal mark of brown, and with paler tips; the rest of the plumage as in the adult. Bill black, 

 inclining to light brown towards the base ; legs and feet dull yellow. 



I 



This handsome Tern is very common in every part of the South Island, but is only occasionally 



/ 



I 



