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BRITISH BIRDS, 
THE ROSEATE TERN. 
( Sterna Dugalliu) 
Mr Montagu mentions this elegant looking bird as 
an undescribed species of Tern ; and from the white 
feathers of the whole under parts being tinged with a 
most delicate rosy blush, he has named it as above. 
The bill is slender, slightly curved, and about an inch 
and five eighths long, it is jet black excepting at the 
base of both mandibles, where it is of a bright orange ; 
the irides are black; the head is also black, and the 
feathers elongated down the back part of the neck ; the 
upper parts of the plumage are pale cinereous grey ; 
the quill feathers are narrow, the shafts white, the first 
has the exterior web black, with a hoary tinge; the 
others are also hoary next the shafts, and all margined 
deeply on the inner webs with white to the tips; the 
tail is greatly forked, extremely slender, and extends 
two inches beyond the closed wings ; the legs and feet, 
including the bare space of about half an inch above 
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