AMERICAN SWAN. 685 



the inner ; the inner with twenty, the middle toe with thirty- 

 three, the outer with twenty-seven scutella ; the interdigital 

 wehs full, reticulate, the marginal web of the inner toe slightly 

 bilobate. The claws are small, strong, arched, compressed, 

 convex above, obtuse, that of the middle toe much larger, 

 with the inner edge dilated, and the tip rounded. 



The parts at the base of the bill, which ultimately become 

 bare, that is, the space between the frontal angles above, and 

 those between the lateral sinuses and the eye, are sparsely 

 covered with very small, somewhat downy feathers. The 

 plumage is moderate, soft, dense, and elastic. On the head 

 and neck the feathers are oblong, obtuse, blended, and very 

 soft ; on the lower parts ova to-oblong, much curved ; on the 

 upper larger, broader, and little curved. The wings long, of 

 moderate breadth ; the quills thirty-five, besides eight nume- 

 rals ; the primaries rather short, decurved, the outer three 

 strongly sinuate on the inner web, the second and third equal 

 and longest, the first nine-twelfths of an inch shorter. The 

 tail is very short, rounded., of eighteen rounded feathers, of 

 which the lateral are about an inch shorter than the medial. 



The bill is reddish flesh-colour, gradually shaded into 

 dusky, and at the end blackish. Part of the partially bare 

 space between the base of the bill and the eye of a dull lemon- 

 yellow. The intercrural space is flesh-coloured, as is the 

 interior of the mouth. The iris dusky-brown. The feet are 

 black, but on the tibia anteriorly is a small flesh-coloured 

 patch; the claws purplish-grey, paler at the base. The 

 general colour of the plumage is a very pale ash-grey, seeming 

 a soiled white at a distance; the breast and abdomen greyish- 

 white. The head and neck are dusky-grey, that colour being 

 deeper on the upper part of the head, gradually fading on 

 the neck, paler on the throat and lower eyelids. When 

 closely examined, each feather on the head, and part of the 

 neck, is found to be marginally tipped with paler. Some of 

 the minute feathers on the fore part of the head are yellow- 

 ish. The larger wing-coverts, quills, scapulars, and tail- 

 feathers are nearly pure white at the base, with a dusky 

 tinge at the end. 



Length to end of tail 46£ inches ; extent of wings 80 ;- 



