m 



green lustre, the former, with light centres to the feathers v 

 sides of head and neck light brown with, yellowish centres ; 

 wings and tail dusky bluish, the wing coverts brownish with pale 

 centres and edgings. Primary wing coverts tipped white ; 

 scapulars brownish ; under surface yellowish^white, with brown 

 streaks on the 1 reast, 

 Oelouhelidon Anglicus {Montague,) 

 Hydrochelidon Indica (Stephens.) 

 Thalasseus Ciiisj ATUs (Stephens.) 

 Thalasseus Bengalensis (Lesson.) 

 Sterna Mi nut a (Linn.) 

 Sterna Java nig a (Horsf.) 



The above are the Terns that frequent the neighbour- 

 hood of Colombo during the winter. The Crested Tern arrives 

 here in the early part of December, and may generally be 

 seen flying along the coast or seated on the rocks off the 

 Fort. It never frequents the lake. The Marsh Tern, Hydro- 

 chelidon Indica, is one of our commonest species frequenting 

 the paddy fields in the neighbourhood of Colombo, as well as 

 the Slave Island Lakes and the sea-beach round the Fort. It 

 arrives here at the beginning of October, being seen first of all 

 out in the country and afterwards appears in small numbers 

 about the Colombo Lake, becoming very numerous in Decem- 

 ber, about which time it may often be observed seated in rows 

 on the Telegraph wire stretching across the water to the Galle 

 Face. I suppose that there is scarcely another spot in the world 

 where such a spectacle, as a web-footed bird seated on a single 

 wire, would be presented. 



The Black-bellied Tern, S. Javanica is rare ; I pro- 

 cured but one specimen this year, shot on the 12th of March* 

 with the under- surface changing to dark iron gray. 



