Order LARIFOBMES 
No. 136. 
Family LARIDM. 
STERNULA ALBIERONS PLAOENS. 
EASTERN WHITE-SHAFTED TERNLET. 
(Plate 111.)* 
Sternula placens Grould, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. iv., Vol. VIII., p. 192, 1871 ; 
Torres Strait. 
Sternula placens Gould, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. iv., Vol. VIII., p. 192, 1871 ; Masters, 
Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. I., p 63, 1875 ; Gould, Birds New Guinea, Vol. V., 
pi. 72, 1876 ; Ramsay, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.) 1877, p. 347. 
Sternula inconspicua Masters, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. I., p. 63, 1875 ; Ramsay, 
ih., Vol. II., p. 201, 1877 ; id., Tab. List. Austr. Birds, p. 23, 1888. 
Sternula sinensis Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. II., p. 201, 1877 ; id., Tab. List 
Austr. Birds, p. 23, 1888; North, Austr. Mus. Cat., No. 12, p. 405, 1890 ; id., Rec. 
Austr. Mus., Vol. I., p. 39, 1890 ; id.. Birds County Cumber., p. 113, 1898. 
Sterna sinensis Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXV., p. 113, 1896 (pars) ; Hall, 
Key Birds Austr., p. 89, 1899 ; Campbell, Nests and Eggs Austr. Birds, p. 848, 1901 ; 
Hall, Key Birds Austr., p. 89, 1906 ; Mathews, Handl. Birds ilustral., p. 21, 1908 ; 
Austin, Emu, Vol. VII., p. 176, 1908 ; Ingram, Ibis 1908, p. 462 ; Campbell and 
White, Emu, Vol. X., p. 199, 1910 ; Hull, ih., 258, p. 1911. 
Sterna sinensis placens Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 209, 1912 ; id.. Austral Av. 
Rec., Vol. I., p. 54, 1912. 
Distribution. East Australia, from Torres Strait to New South Wales. 
Adult male in breeding -plumage. General colour of the upper surface grey, including the 
mantle, back, scapulars, and wings ; the four outer primary- quills have a dark brown 
pattern on the outer web and adjoining the shaft on the inner one, the inner portion 
of which is white ; the innermost primaries and secondaries grey, the latter white 
on the inner webs and fringed with white at the tips ; upper tail-coverts and tail 
ivory-white ; a line of feathers from the base of the bill to the eye black, Hke Obhe 
hinder part of the crown and nape ; fore-part of head and entire under-surface 
of body silky-white, including the under wing-coverts and under tail-coverts ; 
biU yellow, black at tip ; iris brown ; feet orange-yellow. Total length 240 mm. ; 
culmen 30, wing 176, tail 70, tarsus 18. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
The Plate is lettered Sterna sinensis. 
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