5i2 



PALMIPEDES. 



SUBFAMILY L 



PHAi'TONIX^f:. 



Tlte Tropic Birds. 



Gkx. Char AC. — Bill as lonj^ as the head, and V)road at the base, with the 

 culmen elevated, keeled, curved, and the sides much compressed to the tip, 

 which is acute, the g;onys long and ascending^ ; the nostrils basal, linear, and 

 exposed; the wings long and pointed; the tail moderate, graduated, with 

 the two middle feathers prolonged and linear ; the tarsi short ; the toes 

 long, and all united bj- a membrane. 



Fig. 209. — the red-tailed tropic bird. 

 {Phaeton ruhricnitda.) 



These birds are only met witli in tlie Tropical 

 Seas, wliere they are frequently seen, at a great 

 distance from land, flying with outstretched pinions 

 over the ocean, and seizing fishes and other ma- 

 rine animals that approach the surface, but more 

 especially preying upon the flying-fish, as it bounds 

 out of the sea. Notwithstanding the distance to 



