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GELOCHELIDON MACROTARSA, Gould.

Great-footed Tern.

Sterna macrotarsa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc

+» part v. p. 26; and in Syn. Birds of Aust., pl. moan

——

Iv 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
I published, in 1837, a full description,
under the name of Sterna macrotarsa.
n two other examples ;
rare, or that we have not yet visited its true habit
by the late Mr. Elsey on the Victoria River

: species of Tern, which
proved to be new to science, and of which

together with its ad-
measurements and a sketch of the head, In the interval between
1837 and 1859, I have only see it is evident, therefore, that the bir
at. One of the two specimens r
in North-western Australia, and is now
the other, which is in Iny OWN possession, was obtained at Moreton Bay.
collection (and, I believe, the one procured by Mr. Elsey) is
than that in the King’s College Museum; and the latter, which is probably a female, very much exceeds
in 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.
features which distinguishes the Australian bird from its northern represent
coloured back and win

d is extremely
eferred to was procured
in the British Museum A
The specimen in my own
considerably larger in all its admeasurements

One of the principal
ative, is its light and silvery-
gs; it has also a much stouter and longer bill, as well as longer and lar
I have at this moment before me, for the purpose of comparison, beautiful skins of the G.

lected by Mr. Osbert Salvin

ger legs.
Anglica, col-

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 th

at 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; bill, 2:; wing, 132; tail, 6; tarsi, 14.

In summer the crown of the head and back of the neck are black; all the upper surface and primaries
are light silvery grey; the remainder of the plumage is white; 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.