STEEXA Ayj:STHETA, BRIDLED TEEX. 701 



former is greatly increased in thictoei*. so as to gire great contractfle power to this 

 portion of iJie duct, enabling it to expel the fiillT-formed egg. Simultaneously with 

 this increase of the mnscnlar parieres, the longitudinal rujpe become rastly augmented 

 in size, and lose their straight character. They become highly convolnted and irregu- 

 lar, and in the uudilated stare of tlio parts present, on cutting into the tube, the 

 apptirance of nnmerens. wared, flattened folds, pressed closely together side by 

 side. The .iggregate thickinrss uf these mucous rug;v and the muscle together, mske 

 ihe diameter of the tube scarcely less than half an" inch. The lining ol'this portion 

 of the CiUial is parti-colored, being variegated with irregular patches of black. 



The cloaca is, as tisual in the family, very capacious, and of a globular shape. Ine 

 two portions into which it is divided are better marked than in any other si>ecies I 

 have examined. The seii.ieireular fold of mucous membrane is very distinct, and 

 the part beyond it is deepened into a perfect poach or bursa, the orifice of which can 

 be closed by the apposition of the elev.-jted fold of mucous membrane against the 

 posterior border of the .anus. Just above this fold the ureters open upon papilte in 

 the usual position. To the left of the left orifice, on the side of the cloaca, is the 

 opening of the oviduct, ordinarily tightly closed by a spincter, which produces puck- 

 ering and eormgation of the membrane around the oriBce, similar to those eans^rd by 

 the ipiceter ani. 



.>'.MOiiy»jr. — The Atlantic references to this bird are comparatively few and definite, 

 there being scarcely a synonym excepting AHoag rhermhiieri. Les*.. and this xmqnes- 

 tionably l^eloDgs here. His bird ^ as fix>m the Antilles, and the description is appli- 

 cable in every particular to the characters of the very young bird above described. 

 There are. however, a considerable number of Pacific quotations which will bear ili;- 

 cnssion. Wc may first state tha: .S. serrala of Fon>tei (the basis of 0»jfcJkoj>rioii, Wagl.), 

 is undoubtedly founded upon the adult of this species. Forsters guilala is also, no 

 doubt, a synonym of the young of this species, in the curiously spotted coudition of 

 early immaturity, yet with the white ftxint and whitish under parts appearing. The 

 .?. oiAaais's of Bloxham is nncertain : it m.ay have been either this or the succeeding 

 species. I quote several other n;'mes, of which I know nothing myself, upon authority 

 cited with each. 



STEEXA (HALIPLAXA) A^'^STHETA.* Scop. 

 Bridled Tern. 



(f)Sferii<» Kubilosa, Spakkm.. Mns. Carls, pi. 6-2 ^fide Strsi). V— .Str^'B.. Ofv. Vet. .\i. Forh. 



l^f't'. o-ii , St. Bartholomew.) ^^ .•>. boi/Hi. var. ; , Lath.) 

 StiTna aiio-:?iata. Scop, es Scixn.. Toy. pi. r4 : Panay). 

 Siemc .Saliplana) ano<Tf''Ttti. Coms. Key, l~Tv!, 32"2." 



HydrochelidOH (Haliplana) aHogth(FUi-. GkaT, Hand-list, iii, 1?71, l->2. Xo. 110h1. 

 Sterna pcRajfmsis, Gyi., Syst. Xat. i. ITrr. 6(J7 ycx L'hiroxdeUe de mer de rule de r^ray, 



SoNTC., 1. e. p. 125 1. 

 BaliploHa panayeiigig, Saiv., Ibis. 1564, 3S1. 39-2 : Hid. 15<i6. 199 (Honduras). 

 Ottj/dioprioa paHagensis. ScL. A: Salt.. P. Z. S. 1~T1. 572 (Middle America). 

 S'crna panaga. Lath., Ind. Orn. ii, ITi"'. -05 (same as panayen-iis, Gm.). 

 OnyekoprioH pamaga, GotTLD, B. Anst. vii, pi. 33. 

 HaJiplana panaya. CoTTES, Ibis, 1S<>1. S)l (Honduras^. 

 (f)5fe7-Ha antarciicn, Crv.,^<fe Grat et Blas. i^Bp. says ^ fuUgiaosa). 

 (?) Sterna oakHenn?. Elox., Toy. Blonde, 15^26. 251, f,de Gray et Blas. (Cass, s^iys = 



fitUgtHosa). 

 HaJiplana discolor. CouES, Ibis, l-n-i. 392 (Honduras). — ^Lawb., Ann. Lye. X. T. viii, 105 



(Sombrero). — ^Elliot, B. S. Am. ii, pi. 57. (May be a fair variety.)' 

 Sterna " mtlaaoptera, Sw.,' apud Grat (Blas. says ^fuhgihoyj). 

 Sterna - infuseata, BuPP. : JvligiHOfa et fuligula, Licht. ;" apud Blis.. J. £ O. 15t*, -1. 



Diag. 5. gupra einereo-hmnnea, alia dnereo-nigrii. rtctricibus extenoribui duaim fere ex 

 toto aXbis, pUeo nigra, cerrice ei albido cinerascente. lunnld frontdli aJba, angustatd, pogt 

 oailos porrecta, freno nigra per oculos in frontem eitrtvmm eitenso. 



Sab. — Warmer parts of the globe. Originally described from the Philippine Islands. 

 Australia. Middle America. West Indies. Florida (spec, in cab. G. X. L^ so labeled 

 by Audubon). The American may be varietally distinguishable. 



Bcfcription (from an adult Florida specimen, received from Mr. Audubon, in the 

 cabinet of G. y. Lawrence) : Form typical of the genus, as already described. Bill 

 and feet black. Crown, and a moderately broad stripe through the eyes to the nostrils, 



* I have not seen the origiual, which Gray quotes as " anosthatug : " but if, as I pre- 

 sume, the word is allied to anasitheaia. ana-^thdic. in allusion to an apparent stolidity of 

 temper of the bird, this spelling is evidently more nearly correct. 



