289 



STEENA CASPIA. 



(CASPIAN TERN.) 



Sterna caspia, Pall. Nov. Comm. Petrop. xiv. p. 582 (1769). 



Sterna tschegrava, Lepechin, Nov. Comm. Petrop. xiv. p. 500 (1769). 



Sterna caspica, Sparrm. Mus. Carls, ii. fasc. 3. no. 62 (1788). 



Sterna megarhynchos, Meyer, Taschenb. deutsch. Vogelk. ii. p. 457 (1810). 



Thalasseus caspia (Pall.), Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 563. 



Hydroprogne, Kaup (Sterna caspia, Pall.), Natiirl. Syst. p. 91 (1829). 



Sylochelidon balthica, C. L. Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 769 (1831). 



Sylochelidon schillingii, C. L. Brehm, op. cit. p. 770 (1831). 



Sylochelidon caspia (Pall.), C. L. Brehm, op. cit. p. 770 (1831). 



Helopus caspius (Pall.), Wagler, Isis, 1832, p. 1224. 



Thalassites melanotis, Swains. B. of W. Afr. ii. p. 253 (1837). 



Sylochelidon strenuus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1846, p. 21. 



Sylochelidon melanotis (Sw.), Bp. Compt. Rend. 1856, p. 772. 



Sterna melanotis (Sw.), Hartl. Orn. West-Afr. p. 254 (1857). 



Sterna major, Ellman, Zool. 1861, p. 7472. 



Bondine di mare maggiore, Italian ; Abou-Belaha, Arabic ; Baub-Meerschwalbe, German ; 

 Beus Zeezwaluw, Dutch ; Bov-Teme, SJcraalteme, Danish ; Skrdntdrna, Swedish ; BauJcu- 

 tura, Finnish ; Kraschka tschegrava, Russian. 



Figures notabiles. 



Werner, Atlas, Palmipedes, pi. 1 ; Kjaerb. Orn. Dan. taf. 40 a ; Naumann, Vog. Deutschl. 

 taf. 248; Sundevall, Svensk. Fogl. pi. 48. fig. 1; Gould, B. of Eur. pi.' 414; id. B. of 

 Australia, pt. vii. pi. 22 ; Schlegel, Vog. Nederl. pi. 360. 



Ad. ptil. cest. pileo et nucha nitide nigris nuchae plumis elongatis : dorso et alis supra pallide caeruleo-canis : 

 corpore supra reliquo et corpore subtus albis : remigibus saturate cinereis, in pogonio interno satura- 

 tioribus et versus apicem nigricantibus : rostro corallino-rubro, versus apicem nigricante : iride saturate 

 fusca : pedibus nigris. 



Ptil. hiem. corpore supra vix saturatiore, pdeo et nucha haud nigris, sed fronte alba, pileo et capitis lateribus 

 albis nigro striatis, rostro pallidiore et flavido-rubro nee corallino. 



Adult Male in summer (Dobrudscha, 2nd August). Crown to just below the eye and nape glossy black, the 

 nuchal feathers elongated ; mantle pearl-grey or French grey ; rest of the upper parts and tail white ; 

 quills hoary grey, darker grey on the inner web, and blackish on the terminal portion : underparts pure 

 white; bill bright coral-red, blackish at the tip; iris dark brown; legs black. Total length about 

 19 inches, culmen 2'9, wing 15"5, tail 6'0, tarsus l - 8, outer rectrices 1*3 longer than the central ones. 



