STBENIDiE HYDKOCHBLIDON 431 



underparts white throughout, and the bill and legs reddish-brown. 

 Young birds are like the adults in non-breeding plumage, but the 

 feathers of the back and secondaries are edged with brown. 



Distribution.— The Whiskered Tern breeds in southern and 

 central Europe and Asia from Spain to China ; during the northern 

 winter it migrates southwards to Australia and east and southern 

 Africa. 



Though seldom noted it appears to be widely spread over South 

 Africa, as the following list of recorded localities shows : Cape 

 Colony — Berg Eiver (Layard), Port Elizabeth, occasionally (J. G. 

 Brown), Vaal river near Douglas, March (Miss Orpeniu S. A. Mus.) ; 

 Orange Eiver Colony— Kroonstad in December (Symonds), Vrede- 

 fort Eoad (B. Hamilton) ; Natal— Newcastle (Bt. Mus.) ; Trans- 

 vaal — near Johannesburg (Haaguer) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami 

 (Andersson) ; Ehodesia — Pandamatenka, December (Bradshaw) ; 

 German South-west Africa — Ondonga, February to April (Anders- 

 son), Oquamba in Ovampoland (Eriksson). 



Habits. — The Whiskered Tern frequents lakes and marshes, 

 where it can be seen skimming over the surface of the water in 

 search of insects, which form its chief food. It has not been 

 noticed breeding in South Africa, though the example obtained by 

 Mr. Layard on the Berg Eiver, and another near Kroonstad by 

 Mr. Symonds are both in breeding plumage. In northern latitudes 

 this Tern breeds in colonies amongst rushes or on floating water- 

 plants in large marshy lakes. The eggs, usually three in number, 

 are pale olive or greenish, doubly spotted with purplish-grey and 

 brown and measure about 1'51 x 1*09. 



758. Hydrochelidon leucoptera. White-iviwjed Black Tern. 



Sterna leucoptera, Mcisner d- Schinx, Voij. Schweia, p. 264 (1815) ; 



Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 267 ; BuMcy, Ibis, 1874, p. 391. 

 Sterna fissipes, Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 267. 

 Sterna nigra {nee Linn.) Giivney, in Amlersson's B. Daiiiaral. n. 363 



(1872). 

 Hydrochelidon leucoptera. Dresser, B. Eur. viii, p. 321, pis. 590-1 



(1875) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1878, p. 411 ; Sliarpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. 



p. 700 (1884); Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 835; Saunders, Cat. B. M. 



XXV, p. 6 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 162 (1896) ; Aletrandcr, Ibis, 



1900, p. 442; Beichenoiv, Vbg. Afr. i, p. 71 (1900). 



