2 
Pol Ae me OCXX. 
Mr. Latham, in defcribing the Sandwich Tern, fays, the back and 
wings are a pale hoary lead colour, and in the young Birds are much 
clouded with brown: he {ays alfo the head is much dotted with white 
in fome fpecimens ; but obferves, that all Terns with black heads 
are liable to the fame variation*. Thus far our fpecimen may be 
confidered as the Sandwich Tern; but the colour of the legs and 
claws of that Bird is uniformly faid to be black, while in ours 
they are orange: this is however accidental, and by no means 
a permanent character ; the orange-coloured legs and feet is ftrik-. 
ing, but not invariable in the Common Tern, as is proved by the 
variety 8. with black feet, defcribed by Mr. Latham in the Index 
Ornithologicus {3 we alfo find a fpecimen of the Sandwich Tern in 
the Britifh Mufeum, which has the legs and feet of a dull yellowith 
or orange colour, and differs from the {pecimen we have figured only 
in the form of the tail, which is not forked as in the adult Birds. 
“The Sterna Nevia of Linnzus, and La Guiffette of Buffon, is con- 
jidered by Mr. Latham as the young Bird of the Sandwich Tern. 
Our fpecimen differs very little from the defcriptions given by 
thefe authors, 
to) 
Length of our Bird fourteen inches. It was fhot in the Chelfea 
road. 
* In the adultcommon Tern, the black of the head extends to the bafe of the bill; 
in the Sandwich Tern the forehead is white. 
+ Sterna Hirundo. @. var. pedibus nigris, re€tricibus extimis toto albis. Lath. Ind, 
Orn. 2 308, 15.—Pbil. Tranf. \xil. p. 421. Forfter. 
PLATE 
