686 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Genus CHLIDONIAS Rafin.* 



Chlidonias Rafinesque, Kentucky Gazette, vol. 36, 1, No. 8, p. 3 (1822 — 

 Monotype C. melanops =niger.) 



Legs and feet small, webs between toes deeply incised, tarsus 

 not longer than middle toe without claw. Tarsus reticulated but 

 scutate in front. Hind toe well developed. Tail less than half 

 length of wing and only slightly forked, lateral rectrices not elon- 

 gated into " streamers." 3 species, two with recognized subspecies. 



Key to species of genus Chlidonias (adults only). 



^ J Underside grey or black . . 2 

 \ Underside white ... 4 



f Under wing-coverts black, bend of 

 ] wing and lesser upper wing- 



2 ~{ coverts white C. leucopterus (summer), p. 693' 



j Under wing-coverts pale grey or 



[_ white 3 



/Sides of head quite grey or black . C. niger (summer), p. 687 



\ Sides of head with broad white stripe C. leucopareius (summer), p. 690' 

 / With brown spot on sides of jugulum C. niger (winter), p. 686 



\No brown patch on sides of jugulum C. leucopterus and leucopareius 



(winter), pp. 692 and 690 



CHLIDONIAS NIGER 



433. Chlidonias niger niger (L.)— THE BLACK TERN. 



Sterna nigra Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 137 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : near Upsala). 



Hydrochelidon nigra (Linnseus), Yarrell, in, p. 516 ; Saunders, p. 633. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Fore-head and 

 fore -part of crown white ; rest of crown, extending to upper -part of 

 ear-coverts, and nape sooty-black, feathers, when fresh, narrowly 

 tipped white ; lower-neck white joining sides of neck and throat ; 

 rest of upper-parts pale slate-grey, upper-mantle darker, feathers 

 tipped paler ; upper tail-coverts paler, tipped hoary ; in front of 

 eye, small black patch, otherwise lores and sides of head, chin, throat; 

 and all under-parts white with small patch of dark slate on each 

 side of upper-breast ; axillaries and under wing-coverts pale ash- 



* Khoads, Auk, 1912, p. 197, has shown that in the Kentucky Gazette, a 

 newspaper, vol. 36, 1822, i, No. 8, p. 3, Rafinesque published a generic name, 

 Chlidonias, for a Tern. The objections that it was published in a newspaper 

 and that it was preoccupied by Chlidonia (without s) are not valid, but I 

 considered that the name could be rejected because the bird was described as 

 having no hind toe, and there is no mention of the white nape-band, and the 

 name " melanops " was suspicious, since the "face" is white and not black. 

 There is, however, no doubt that the author described some Tern, and the 

 description of the webs leaves no doubt that he meant the present genus. 

 We, therefore, look upon the statement of only three toes as an error, (errors, 

 unfortunately occur in many descriptions), and as Chlidonias antedates 

 Hydroc elidon, it must be used. — E. H. 



