EHYNCHOPS NIGRA, BLACK SKIMMER. 715 



EHYNCHOPS NIGEA, Liuu. 



Black Skimmer; Cut-water, 



I{hy)icho2)s nigra, LiXN., Syst. Nat. i, 17fi6, 2"2S.— Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 611.— Lath., lud. 

 Orii. ii, 1790, 80'i; and of authors oenerally. — Bukm., Syst. Ubers. iii, 454; 

 Eeise, 520 (La Plata). — Le6t., Ois. Trinidad, 534.— Maxim., Beit, iv, 877. — 

 Pelz., Oru. Bras. 324. — Pn. & Laxdu., Cat. 50 (Chili).— Gundl.. Rep. F. N. i, 



i 393 (Cuba).— Salv., Ibis, 1865, 193 ; 1866 (Guateujala).— Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 



' 1858, 77 (Rio Napo) ; 1871, 566 (south to 4b°, D((nrin).—ScL., P. Z. S. 1867, 340 



(Chili).- ScL., P. Z. S. 1864, 179 (Mexico).— Dkess., Ibi.s, 1866, 45 (Texas).— 

 Lawr., B. N. Am. 1858, 866.— Lawk., Auu. Lye, viii, 1866, 299 (New York).— 

 TUKNIJ., B. E. Pa. 1869, 39 (New Jersey, frequeut).— COUES, Pr. Ess. lufct. v, 

 1868, 309 (?New England; quotes Emmons, Cat. B. Mass. 1835, 6; Linsl., Am. 

 Jouiu. Sci. xliv, 1843, 249 ; Pl tn., Pr. Ess. Inst, i, 1856, 231).— Coues & Pkent., 

 Sn)iths. Rep. 1861, 419 (Washington, D. C.).— Coues, Pr. Bost. Soc. xii, 1868, 

 127 (South Carolina).— Ali.ex, Bull. M. C. Z. ii, 1871, 368 (Florida, in winter). — 

 Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1871, 46 (North Carolina).— Coues, Key, 1872, 324. 



Bliyiuhops Julva, Linn., Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 229. — Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 611. 



Bhyvclwps chttrusctns et Ircvirostris, Spix, A. B. pis. 102, 103 {juniores). 



Uriynchojjs vielanurus, BoiE. — Sw., An. in Men. 1838, 340 (Demarnra). — Cab., Schomb. 

 Guiau. iii, 761.— ScL. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1866, 201 (Ucayali) ; 1867, 593 (Mexiaua) ; 

 1867, 754 (Peru). 



i?7i2/«c7iOj>s borealis, Sw., Au. in Men. 1838, 340. 



Diag. E. rostro ruhro nigro dimidiato, nofa'o cum primariis 6 exteriorihus nigris, pogoniis 

 inttrnis jmrnarioriim 4 intcriorum et ajjicibus alhis, froni-e et gastrao alhis 2)Uis minnsve 

 rosaceif), caudd aJld nUjro dimidiata, pedibus ruhi'is. 



Hah. — Warmer parts of America. South to 45" (Darwin). Various West Indian 

 Lslaiuls. In North America, Gulf and Atlantic coasts regularly to New Jersey ; casually, 

 if at all, to New Euglaud. 



Adult. — Upper mandible with its culmen curved for its whole length, sinking a, little 

 at the base; highest just beyond the nostrils; gradually curved to the tip, which is 

 more acute than that of the lower mandible, but still very convex in profile; the ridge 

 sharj) and narrow for its whole length. The sides of the upper mandible are, from the 

 base for half its length, A-ery convex and bulging, so as to give to the base of the bill 

 a much rounded transverse outline ; but the sides gradually become more and more 

 compressed, till they hardly i)roject at all, but are quite perpendicular. The toniia of 

 the superior mandible, from the angle of the mouth, at first converge very rapidly, at 

 a quite obtuse angle, and at the same time are so much inflected that the sides of the 

 mandible just above them look almost directly do-svnward as far as the distal extremity 

 of the nostrils; there the tomia are parallel, very closely approximated, with perfectly 

 perpendicular sides, leaving between them only a narrow groove for the reception of 

 the tomial symphysis of the inferior mandible. The nasal groove is short and wide, 

 and rather shallow, its width and shallowness being caused by the great difference in 

 amount of divergence of the nasal and mandibular processes of the intermaxillary bone. 

 The nostrils are situated at the anterior extremity of this groove, and are of ordinary 

 laridine shape and size. The feathers run far forward ou tli«! broad and de])ressed base 

 of the culmen, with a rather obtuse angle, and then slope backward to the angle of 

 the mouth with a sinuate outline, at first concave, then convex. The lower mandible 

 is compressed for the whole of the extent whicli is bare of feathers, except just at the 

 extreme base, where the rami are rapidly approaching the median line; very flexible, 

 being cajtable of being greatly bent in a lateral direction ; its tip with a very thin, 

 sharj) edge, and a broadly convex perpendicular profile outline. Its sides are nearly 

 erect and flat, bulging but slightly at the base, not at all terminally ; nuirked with 

 about sixty straight, very obliqu<! ridges ajid sulci, running at an angle of about 

 45" ilownward and backward; of a length equal to about half the height of the 

 mandilile; most distinct toward the middle of the bill, more obsolete toward either 

 extremity. The tomial «'dges, of which the symphysis is complete from a ))oint about 

 o])posit(! the nostrils to the tij), are slightly couvexo-dedinate for their whole length; 

 the gonys, which is as thin and sharj) as the toinium, is somewhat mon^ decidedly con- 

 cavo-dedinate. The outline of the inferior mandibular rami is perpendicularly very 

 concave, horizontally sinuate, the siil)mental space being tilled witli leathers to the 

 very symjdiysis. The basal half, or a little less, of both niandil>les are carmine-red, 

 the ti-rminal half black. 



The feet are of moderate length for this family. Tlio tibiiP are naked for a very 

 coiiNidcrable sjiaee, nearly half their total length. This bar<' jiortion shows a decided 

 tendency, most marked on its anterior face, to become transversely Bcutellate, like the 

 tarsus. The tarsus is defended anteriorly by a single row of scutella, which bccoiue 



