694 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Soft parts. — Bill (ad.) black tinged crimson, (juv. and 1st winter) 

 black-brown tinged orange at gape ; legs and feet (ad.) bright 

 vermilion, (juv. and 1st winter) red to red-brown ; iris dark 

 brown. 



Characters. — No subspecies. In summer white lesser wing- 

 coverts and black under-wing, and in winter and juvenile absence 

 of dark brown patches on sides of breast, pale rump and short bill 

 distinguish it from other Marsh-Terns. 



Breeding-habits. — Nests in colonies in shallow water, marshes, 

 etc., sometimes together with Black Tern. Nest. — Mass of floating 

 weed or vegetable matter. Eggs. — Usually 3, sometimes only 2, 

 closely resemble those of Black Tern, ground being ochreous or 

 brown and with bold blotches of black and ashy-grey shellmarks, 

 but are smaller. Average of 50 eggs, 33.5 X 24.6. Max. : 36.1 X 26.1 

 and 34.8x27. Min. : 29.4x22.7 mm. Breeding-season. — Latter 

 part May and early June. Incubation. — Probably by both sexes, 

 but exact details lacking as to period, etc. Single brooded. 



Food. — Maggots in stomach of British specimens : chief food 

 aquatic insects and larvae, coleoptera, odonata, orthoptera, diptera, 

 phryganeidee, etc. Probably also tadpoles and small frogs (Nau 

 mann). 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Pare vagrant, mostly April and 

 May, sometimes in small flocks, three in autumn. England. — Has 

 occurred Durham, Yorks. (two spring, one Sept. 26, 1896), Norfolk 

 (many), Essex (four seen), Kent, Sussex, Hants., Dorset (several), 

 Devon (several, one Nov., 1870), Cornwall and Scilly, Warwick (two). 

 Ireland. — Six. One each Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, two 

 Dublin (one Oct., 1841). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in south-east Europe, north to 

 Hungary, exceptionally (once) in Bavaria, formerly and perhaps 

 still in Algeria, throughout south Russia and temperate Asia to 

 China. In winter in Africa and south Asia to Australia and doubt- 

 fully New Zealand. Casual north Germany, Sweden, Denmark, 

 Prance, Spain, Balearic Is. Accidental in N. America and Barbados. 



Genus GELOCHELIDON Brehm. 



Gelochelidon Brehm, Handb. Naturg. Vog. DeutschL, p. 771 (1831 — 

 Monotype :] G. nilotica, tinder three different names into which Brehm separ- 

 ated it). 



Larger species, remarkable for its strong, high, and short black 

 beak. Tail comparatively much shorter than in Sterna, much 

 shorter than half length of wing, rectrices gradually increasing in 

 length to sides, fork of tail shorter than half tail. Legs compara- 

 tively long, a little longer than middle toe with claw. 1 species with 

 several subspecies. 



