302 GAVI.E. 



obtained near Yokohama. It is common on the Pescadore Islands 

 between Formosa and China (Swinhoe, Proc. Zod. Soc. 1871, p. 422). 

 The Bridled Tern is a tropical species, inhabiting the Indian 

 Ocean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic. It is said to have once occurred 

 in England. 



302. STERNA FULIGINOSA. 



(SOOTY TERN.) 



Sterna fuliginosa, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 605 (1788). 





72 



Head of Sterna fuliginosa. Natural size. 



The Sooty Tern belongs to the group in which the back, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts are dark brown, but the underparts are white 

 in the adult. It is larger than the Bridled Tern. The white nuchal 

 collar does not extend across the nape, and the black on the lores 

 does not extend as far forward as the white on the forehead. 



Figures : Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves, pi. 89 ; 

 Dresser, Birds of Europe, viii. pi. 587. 



The Sooty Tern is a resident throughout the tropical seas, and is 

 only accidentally found in more temperate regions. Its only claim 

 to be regarded as a Japanese species is the record of the examples, 

 doubtless from Southern Japan, obtained by the Siebold Expedition, 

 and an example obtained on the Yaye-yama Islands, the most 

 southerly group of the Loo-Choo Islands, by Mr. Nishi (Stejneger, 

 Proc. United States Nat. Mus. 1887, p. 392) . There are two records 

 of its occurrence on the British Islands. 



