THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
In the Ann. Sci. Nat., Paris, Vol. VI., p. 101, 1825, Lesson wrote : — 
Nous recontrames souvent dans I’archipel de la Societe, soit dans les lies basses des 
Pomotous, ou a Borabora, non loin de Tditi, une steme queles Insulaires nomment pirae, de 
la taille de la petite birondelle de mer d’Europe. Son plumage est d’une blancheur 
eblouissantel ; les tiges des plumes sont brxmes, et ses pieds, de meme que la bee, sont de 
couleur bleu de ciel. Est-ce la Sterna pacifica ? 
Bennett, in the Narr. Whaling Voy., Vol. I., p. 370, 1840, wrote : “ Small 
White Terns {Sterna nivea) were also as numerous and familiar as the 
former birds, and flew so close to us that we captured them with ease. Their 
appearance is delicate and beautiful. They are rather larger than a snipe ; 
their plumage snow-white ; their eyes dark and full ; their beak and legs of 
a light blue colour,” the locality being Caroline Island, situated in 9° 57' S. 
and 150° 25' W. This island is not far from the Marquesas. 
In the Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.) 1876, p. 668, Saunders introduced Gygis 
microrhyncha thus : “ Alba : similis G. candidae, sed minor, rostro multo 
minore, tenuiore, rectricum scapis albis, nec nigris, distinguenda,” Marquesas 
Islands. He noted Bennett’s S. nivea seemed indeterminable, as both 
G. Candida Gmelin (which name he preferred to G. alba Sparrman, writing, 
“ Sparrman’s flgure and description are both very bad ”) and G. micror- 
hyncha were reported from the Marquesas group, and that G. napoleonis 
Bonaparte {Co7nptes Rendus Sci., Paris, Vol. XLII., p. 772, 1856) was a nude 
name only. 
In the Ratal. Vogels Mus. Senckenberg, p. 237, 1891, Hartert proposed 
G. alba kittlitzi for birds from “ Insul Ulea, Carolinen,” on account of 
their shorter bills “ (culm. 3.5 cm. (gegen 4.6 bei alba) ) ” and wings “ (Flugel 
24 cm. (gegen 26 bei alba) ) ”, using alba for Australian birds. In the Cat. 
Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXV., 1896, Saunders admitted Gygis Candida and 
G. 7nicrorhyncha only. 
Subsequently, in the Nov. Zool., Vol. V., p. 67, 1898, Hartert used Gygis 
alba kittlitzi for birds from Guam, Laysan, Lisiansky and Huahine “ which 
I have compared with a large series from the Kermadec Islands, and I found 
that they all have the bill from 3 to 10 mm. shorter and the wing from 6 to 
20 mm. shorter than those from the Kermadecs,” and discussed the status of 
alba Sparrman which had been rejected by Saunders. 
In the Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XVI., p. 102, 1906, Nicoll described 
Gygis crawfordi thus : — 
Similar to O. Candida, but may be easily distinguished by the following characters. 
Bill wholly black (not blue at the base, as in G. Candida) more slender and narrower at the 
base ; nostril situated much nearer the forehead ; wing longer than in G. Candida ; tarsi 
and toes pale blue, webs white. 
Adult $ Total length 11.7 ; wing 10.4 ; culmen 2.1 ; tarsus .5. 
Hah. South Trinidad. 
N B. All the examples of Gygis from the Atlantic are probably referable to this species. 
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