256 



Adult Male in breeding-plumage. Crown of the head black, the lower margin being drawn just below the 

 eye ; sides of the face white, commencing with a narrow line from the base of the nostril ; upper surface 

 of the body delicate silvery-grey, some of the scapulars slightly inclining to white at the tips ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts pure white ; wing-coverts coloured like the back ; quills dark grey, with white 

 shafts ; the outer web of the first primary blackish, and all the other primaries externally margined 

 with hoary grey, which also extends along the inner web in a line parallel with the shaft, occupies the 

 entire tip of the feather and also the interior margin of the inner web for a certain portion of its length ; 

 the secondaries tipped with white, forming an alar band; tail-feathers white, with white shafts, the 

 outer web of the two longest feathers dark greyish ; under surface of the body delicate silvery-grey, 

 white on the chin; under wing- and tail-coverts entirely white; bill and feet coral-red; claws blackish; 

 iris blackish brown. Total length 15 inches, culmen 1-3, wing 10'4, tail 8 - 0, tarsus 055. 



Adult Male in winter plumage. Only differs from the summer dress in wanting the black head, and not 

 being so distinctly grey underneath ; the forehead is white, and the hinder part of the head black. 



Young bird of the year. The upper plumage, though grey like the adults, is much mottled with blackish, 

 and has all the back feathers conspicuously tipped with white, the wings and tail-feathers being 

 marked in the same manner ; the forehead is white, and the hinder part of the head black, mixed on 

 the fore part with a few whitish spots ; the cheeks, hinder neck, and entire under surface of the body are 

 pure white, without any mixture of grey ; bill black, reddish at the base of the lower mandible. 



Nestling. Covered with golden-buff down, inclining to ochre, the upper surface varied with little blackish 

 markings ; the forehead and throat brownish black ; under surface of the body yellowish white, with 

 the flanks and lower abdomen inclining to brownish. 



The figure of the adult bird is taken from a beautiful specimen, in breeding-plumage, procured by 

 Mr. Howard Saunders on the Copeland Islands, the young bird being in our own collection. The 

 latter is described, while the description of the adults is taken from some fine specimens given to us 

 by Mr. Hanbury Barclay. 



Obs. The old birds of this species are distinguished from the Common Tern by the following characters : — 

 1. The tail is much longer, and in the adult birds in summer- plumage reaches beyond the wings. Hence 

 Naumann's name of macrura. 



