ROSEATE TERN. 



433 



curved, and of a jet black-colour, except at the base, which is of a 

 bright orange, extending- about the eighth of an inch in breadth on the 

 upper mandible from the corner of the mouth, round the front and 

 round the nostrils ; and on the under mandible, extending- from the 

 angle of the mouth along- the sides as far as the feathers on the chin, 

 and rather beyond on the under part; the inside of the mouth and 

 throat brig-ht orang-e, becoming- darker towards the end of the bill ; 

 irides black ; the tong-ue one half the length of the bill, of a pale red- 

 colour, and bifurcated at the point ; the forehead, crown, hind part, and 

 sides of the head, taking in the eyes, except a small portion of the 

 lower part of the orbit, jet black ; the black feathers on the hind head 

 thinly diffused, and flowing over the white down the back of the neck ; 

 the feathers on the sides of the head, extending in a narrow line along 

 the upper mandible to the nostrils, and on the sides of the neck white ; 

 the whole under parts are white, but the fore part of the neck, breast, 

 and belly, to beyond the vent, are tinged with a most delicate rosy 

 blush ; the back, scapulars, and coverts of the wings pale cinereous- 

 grey ; the quill-feathers are narrow ; the first has the exterior web 

 black, with a hoary tinge ; the others are hoary on that part ; and part 

 of the inner web next to the shaft of the first three or four is hoary 

 black, becoming by degrees paler in the succeeding feathers, all deeply 

 margined with white quite to the tip, and the shafts of all are white ; 

 length of the wing from the elbow to the extremity of the first quill-feather 

 nine inches and a quarter ; the tail is greatly forked ; the outer feather 

 is seven inches long, extending two inches beyond the wings when 

 closed, extremely slender, and the end for an inch or more slightly 

 ciliated ; the middle feathers are scarcely three inches in length ; they 

 are all white, destitute of any markings ; the legs and feet, including- 

 the bare space above the knee, which is nearly half an inch, are of the 

 brightest orange-colour ; the claws black and hooked. 



Such is the description of this interesting species of tern, to which we 

 add Doctor M'Dougall's comparative observations : — "This tern, "he says, 

 " is of light and very elegant figure, differing from the Sterna hirundo in 

 the size, length, colour, and curvature of the bill ; in the comparative 

 shortness of the wing in proportion to the tail ; in the purity of the white- 

 ness of the tail, and the peculiar conformation and extraordinary length 

 of the lateral feathers. It also differs from that bird in the length, 

 colour, and size of the legs and feet. From the sandwich tern it 

 differs essentially in the shortness of the wings in proportion to the 

 tail, and completely in the colour of the legs and feet." 



From these notes, which Doctor M'Dougall took upon the spot where 



