THE PANAYAN TERN. 
431 
The Eastern Little Tern is abundant throughout Pegu. Mr. Davison 
did not meet with it in Tenasserim, nor does Mr. Blyth record it from 
Arrakau. It is unlikely, however, to be absent from these two Divisions, 
for it is by no means a local species nor one that is rare. 
It appears to extend over a considerable portion of India (S. gouldi) 
and it is found in Ceylon. It ranges along the coast and through the 
archipelago to Australia and northwards to China. 
This small species is very abundant in all the larger rivers ; also in 
marshes and on large pieces of water. It is perhaps most abundant 
in those parts of the river which are within tidal influence. It breeds 
in Burmah during March and April, depositing four eggs in a small 
depression on a sand-bank. 
769. STERNA AN^aSSTHETA. 
THE PANAYAN TEHN. 
Sterna anaesthetus, Scop. Del. Floy, et Faun. Insub. ii. p. 92 ; Saunders, P. Z. S. 
1876, p. 664; Hume, S. F. iv. p. 474; Butler, S. F. v. p. 301 ; Hmne Dav. 
S. F. vi. p. 493 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 116 ; Legf/e, Birds Ceylon, p. 1040. Sterna 
panayensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 607. Onychoprion anaesthetus, Jerd. B. 
Ind. ii. p. 844 ; Hume, S. F. ii. p. 320 ; Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 374. Haliplana 
anaestheta, David et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 528. 
Description. — Summer plumage. Forehead and a broad streak passing 
backwards over the eye to a point just beyond it white ; crown, nape, ear- 
coverts and lores black ; chin, throat, cheeks, sides of the neck and the 
whole lower plumage white ; the breast, abdomen and flanks tinged with 
grey j hind neck grey ; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, upper wing> coverts, 
scapulars and tertiaries smoky brown ; edge of the wing white ; lesser 
upper wing-coverts blackish ; quills blackish brown ; tail smoky brown, the 
outermost pair of feathers white except at the tip. 
In winter plumage the grey tinge on the breast, abdomen and flanks 
disappears ; the crown becomes dull white streaked with blackish, and the 
black band from the lores through the eyes disappears or is indicated only 
by a few brown mottlings ; the hind part of the nape remains black and 
forms a collar joining the ear- coverts. 
Bill, legs and feet black ; irides deep brown. [Hume.) 
Length up to 15 inches, tail up to 7, wing 9-5, tarsus -8, bill from 
gape 2. 
The Panayan Tern occurs in the Bay of Bengal, having been observed 
near the Andaman Islands and at other points, and it is of common 
