GELOCHELIDON MACROTARSA, Gow. 
Great-footed Vern. 
Sterna macrotarsa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. p. 26; and in Syn. Birds of Aust., pl... fig. 2. 
[r is now about twenty-five years ago since a small collection of Australian birds was sent to the Council of 
King’s College, London, as a donation to their museum. In this collection was a fine species of Tern, which 
proved to be uew to science, and of which I published, in 1837, a full description, together with its ad- 
measurements and a sketch of the head, under the name of Sterna macrotarsa. In the interval between 
1837 and 1859, I have only seen two other examples; it is evident, therefore, that the bird is extremely 
rare, or that we have not yet visited its true habitat. One of the two specimens referred to was procured 
by the late Mr. Elsey on the Victoria River in North-western Australia, and is now in the British Museum ; 
the other, which is in my own possession, was obtained at Moreton Bay. The specimen in my own 
collection (and, I believe, the one procured by Mr, Elsey) is considerably larger in all its admeasurements 
than that in the King’s College Museum; and the latter, which 1s probably a female, very much exceeds 
‘n size the Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon Anglica) of Europe, to which species the present bird is nearly 
allied, and of which it is evidently the representative on the Australian continent. One of the principal 
features which distinguishes the Australian bird from its northern representative, is its light and silvery- 
coloured back and wings 5 it has also a much stouter and longer bill, as well as longer and larger legs. 
I have at this moment before me, for the purpose of comparison, beautiful skins of the G Anglica, co\- 
lected by Mr. Osbert Salvin in North Africa; one from the continent of India, and another from Java: all 
these are as nearly alike as possible in colour and admeasurements ; it is evident therefore that the European 
and Indian birds are of the same species. 
The following are the admeasurements of the bird I have figured from :— 
Total length 17 inches ; pill, 2; wing, 15%; tail, 6; tarsi, 12. a 
In summer the crown of the head and back of the neck are black ; all the upper surface and primaries 
are light silvery grey 3 the remainder of the plumage is white 5 and the bill and feet are black. 
In winter the black colouring of the head probably disappears and is replaced by white. 
The figure is somewhat less than the natural size. . 
