)00 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Geographic distrihition. — Necker Island, French Frigate Shoals, 

 and Bird Island, of the Leeward Islands, Hawaiian group. 



Description ofUjpe. — Male adult. Bill Idack. Pileuni and fore part 

 of cervix, lores, chin, and throat clear light gray (about No. S or 9 of 

 Ridgway's nomenclature), shading to darker (between French gray 

 and cinereous) on nape, cheeks, and sides of neck, and passing into a 

 triilc lighter grav (No. 7) on sides, hind part of jugvdum, breast, flanks, 

 and lower tail coverts. Fore part of juguluni and central portion of 

 abdomen pure white, blending into surrounding gray of sides and 

 breast. The Ijreast is almost as pale centrally as the pileum, but 

 becomes gradually darker on sides, shoulders, sides of neck, and malai- 

 region inclosing the conspicuously lighter throat and white jugular 

 patch. An orbital ring is black in the anterior two-thirds of upper, in 

 whole of forward, and first third of lower portion, and pure white for 

 tlio remainder. The black and white are conspicuous, being from 1 to 2 

 miHimeters wide. A small white area occurs just above black portion 

 of orbital ring on "eyebrows." The gray of the nape and hind neck 

 and shoulders shades gradually into a darker and less bluish gray over 

 the mantle (about gray No. (j, or slightly darker), which darkens into 

 a decidedly ashy gray (between slate gray and mouse gray) on wing 

 coverts. Secondaries conspicuouslj^ edged with white. The feathers 

 of the mantle are vermiculated with almost obsolete bars of lighter 

 gray (present also in cinerea 2in^ cerulea)^ which show plainly in favor- 

 able lights. Primaries dark slate color, an indistinct light-gray wedge 

 on the inner web of the first three primaries (reaching to within 25 

 mm. of tip on first), less conspicuous on fourth, and represented on 

 rc^nainder by an indistinct lighter edging. Shafts of primaries very 

 dark sepia. Under wing coverts pearl gray, whitish at bend of wing. 

 Hump, upper tail coverts, and rectrices like mantle. Inner web of 

 each rectrix edged with pale gray distally, becoming almost white 

 proximally (less extended than in clnered). Legs in life dull sepia 

 black, paler toward and on tibias and toes, webs creamy flesh color, 

 rather lifeless, with an indefinite edging of sepia next to toes. Iris 

 deep sepia, pupil black. 



Measurements of tj^pe in millimeters: Length in flesh, 285; wing, 

 1S6; tail, 113; culmen, 26; depth of bill at nostril (post, end), 5.5; 

 l)ill from nostril, 17.5; tarsus, 25; middle toe, 32. 



Adult female.— Q>oi^^Q, No. 188652, U.S.N.M. In color like the 

 male, but a trifle smaller. (For size see table of measurements.) 



Immature.— {^QwvdX^) cotype, No. 188653, U.S.N.M. Uppei- parts 

 as a whole darker than adult; the pileum of dark feathers edged with 

 gray, giving a mottled appearance; mantle darker and more ashy than 

 adult, lacking faint })ars except on longest tertials. Inner tertials and 

 upper tail coverts edged with light gray. Lower parts, as a whole, 

 lighter than adult, being white except an illy defined band across 



