78 THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 



The Brown-winged Tern. 



Sterna ancEstkeia. 



West Indies, African and Indian Seas to Japan and Northern 

 Australia. 



Centre of forehead and superciliary line, thence to behind the eye 

 white; loral stripe, crown and nape black; hind neck grey, mantle dark 

 slate-grey; primaries smoke-grey with white wedges to the centre of 

 inner web; tail dark grey, outer feathers white on outside web to within 

 2 inches of the tip; underparts white; bill black. Total length 15 inches, 

 culmen 1.9, wing 10.5, tail 6.75, tarsus 0.8, depth of fork 2.7. 



Lay in companies in the same neighbourhood; the single 

 egg is deposited either under a bush, roots of Pandanus Palm or 

 sheltering rock; it is of a pinkish- white colour, spotted with 

 dark reddish-brown markings, usually nine, plentiful on the 

 larger end ; the spots are not nearly so plentiful as on S. bergii. 

 The eggs measure about 1.78 x 1.34 inch. 



The Sooty Tern. 



Sterna fuliginosa. 



Tropical and juxta- tropical seas of the world. 



Very similar to Brown-winged Tern, but larger, the white frontal 

 band and superciliary stripe broader, the latter not reaching beyond the 

 eye, upper surface sooty black, streamers dull white on outer webs and 

 grey on end half of inner webs, other tail feathers black, abdomen 

 greyish white, breast white. Total length about 17 inches, culmen 2.1, 

 wing 11.75, tail 7.5, depth of fork 4, tarsus 0.9. 



The birds nest on the bare ground in companies. One egg 

 is laid, which is pinkish white, blotched with reddish-brown 

 markings, especially on the larger end ; the eggs vary in colour. 

 They measure about 2.01 x 1.40 inch. They nest in immense 

 numbers on the Houtman's AbroUios Islands. 



The White-faced Ternlet. 



Sterna nereis. 



Australian and New Zealand seas, including New Caledonia. 



Forehead white, a black spot in front of eye, and narrow ring of 

 black round eye, crown and nape black, mantle light grey; edge of 

 primaries white; tail and underparts white; bill yellow. Total length 10 

 inches, culmen 1.5, wing 7.25, tail 4, depth of fork 2, tarsus 0.6." This 

 bird is the palest member of the group of Little Terns. 



