WHISKERED TERN. 
7 
inner webs also white ; crown of head and nape black; under 
surface of body slaty-grey, deepening into blackish towards 
the abdomen and paling into white towards the chin ; sides^ of 
face from the base of the bill to the sides of the neck white, 
forming a band which contrasts strongly with the black head 
and grey cheeks ; under tail-coverts, under wing-coverts, and 
axillaries, pure white or with a slight tinge of grey on the latter^ 
“ bill blood-red ; feet vermilion, drying to orange colour ” 
(^Saunders). Total length, io'5 inches; culmen, i'3 ; wing, 
9'3 ; tail, 3-45 ; tarsus, 0-9. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but somewhat paler in 
colour. Total length, 97 inches; wing, 8-9. 
Adult in Winter Plumage. — Differs from the summer plumage in 
being white underneath, and in having a white collar round the 
hind neck; crown of head white, mottled and spotted with 
black on the hinder crown and nape, and the upper surface 
paler grey. 
Young. — Differs from the winter plumage of the adult in 
having the hinder part of the head blacker, and the uijper 
surface of the body mottled with large or small black spots 
which are varied with sandy-buff spots or bars. 
Nestling. — Sandy -buff, inclining to golden-buff on the fore- 
head and mantle ; the upper surface prettily striped or spotted 
with regular lines of black ; the throat sooty black ; rest of 
under parts white, the sides of the body being sandy-buff. 
Characters. The adult bird is easily distinguished from 
letimpiera by the grey upper and under tail-coverts, and 
rom H. niprah-^ the red bill and white chin and sides of face, 
as well as by the white under wing-coverts. In winter plumage 
me species may be distinguished from the adult of //. kucoptem 
by its grey tail, and from the young of the latter species, which 
has a grey tail, by the absence of white on the rump, which is 
to be found in the young of the White-winged Black I'ern. In 
winter plumage H. hybrida has a grey rump, like the back, and 
1 winter dress of H. nigra, but it is a 
r latter, has a stouter bill, and has the webs 
01 the feet much incised. 
