Order LARIFORMES. 
No. 120. 
Family LARI DM. 
STERNA VITTATA. 
(BETHUNEI.) 
SUB-ANTARCTIC TERN. 
(Plate 76.) 
Sterna vittata Gmelin, Syst. Nat., Vol. I., pt. n., p. 609, April 20th, 1789 : Kerguelen Island; 
Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXV., p. 51, 1896 (pref. Dec. 16th, 1895) ; Buller, 
Birds New Zealand, Suppl., Vol. I., p. 158, 1905 (common on Campbell, Antipodes and 
Bounty Islands). 
Sterna beihunei Buller, Trans. New Zeal. Inst., 1895, Vol. XXVIII., p. 348, June 1896 : Bounty 
Island, New Zealand (ex Henry Travers MSS.), id. Suppl. Vol. 1, p. 159, 1905. 
Sterna vittata bollonsi Mathews and Iredale, Ibis, 1913, April: Sub-Antarctic Islands of New 
Zealand ; Mathews, Syst. Av. Austral., p. 139, June 13th, 1927. 
Distribution. The Sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand. 
Adult male. Fore-head, crown and back of the neck deep black, slightly glossed with blue , 
mantle, scapulars, lower back and rump light lavender-grey, palest on the mantle ; upper 
tail-coverts and tail pure w T hite ; wing-coverts like the back ; outer primary-quills black 
on the outer web, dark grey on the inner web next the shaft and broadly white on the inner 
margin; remainder of the wing dark silvery-grey, with all the shafts of the feathers ivory- 
white ; lores black on the upper margin, white on the lower margin and continued backwards 
along the sides of the crown ; sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks and entire under-parts 
lavender-grey, except the under tail-coverts, which are white. Bill coral-red ; iris black; 
feet coral-red. Total length about 365 mm. : culmen 37, wing 267, tail 135, tarsus 22. 
Figured. Collected on Antipodes Island, Jan. 14th, 1901. 
The sexes are alike. 
Young. Lores, fore-head and top of the head -white ; back and sides of the crown black ; a broad 
white collar round the back of the neck ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail white, 
light grey on the outer web ; remainder of upper-surface light lavender-grey ; wings as in 
the adult; entire under-parts white. Iris black ; bill black, red at base of the lower 
mandible ; legs blackish-red. Total length about 335 mm. : culmen 35, wing 240, tail 
119, tarsus 20. Campbell Island, Januar} r 10th, 1901. 
Nest. In the small holes of the steep basaltic cliffs along the coast and in the sides of the crater. 
In the most inaccessible places in the crater (St. Paul’s Island). 
The eggs are laid among the stones and rocks in a scratching in the gravel near the coast (South 
Georgia). 
Eggs. Clutch one. Elongated oval in shape ; ground-colour darkish brown-olive, with under¬ 
lying blotches of dark ashy-grey and superficial blotches and streaks of dark sepia-brown, 
almost black, chiefly at the bigger end. 45*7 mm. by 31*4 (St. Paul’s Island). 
Ground-colour greenish-olive, with a zone of irregular blackish blotches round the larger 
end as well as numerous ashy shell-marks. Average measurements of four eggs, 43'9 mm. 
by 30*3. (South Georgia.) 
See end of book for details. 
107 
