164 



ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



Bill sliort, somewhat depressed; nostrils in the anterior portion of the 

 jiosterior half of the bill, not pervious, rather narrow, and with an acute 

 tubercle visible at the posterior corner, lamella not visible below tomia; 

 border of frontal feathering angular. Outer toe without claw, decidedly 

 longer than middle one ; tip of inner toe, without claw, reaches only 

 to the second joint of middle toe; hind toe very short. First primary 

 longest; none of the primaries sinuated in the inner web. Tail rather 

 long, more than twice the length of the tarsus; reaches beyond the 

 folded wings by nearly twice the length of culmen, graduated, of IG 

 rectrices. Feathering of the head of the male particularly pufiy. 



The Bufilie-head is as well entitled to generic rank as the other genera 

 among the Fulignlincu, difi'ering, as it does, in many important structural 

 features from the two species Clangnla glaucion and islandiea. The 

 chief differences may by tabulated thus: 



Charitonetta. 



Clangula, 



Nostrils behiud the middle of the bill, Nostrils in front of the middle of the 



being situated in the anterior jiortion of bill, being situated in the posterior por- 



the posterior half. tiou of the anterior half. 



Nostrils rather narrow and the tubercle Nostrils rather broad, tubercle not visi- 



visible. ble. 



Lamellae not at all visible below tomia. Tips of lamelloB visible below tomia at 



the middle of the commissure. 



Outer toe, without claw, decidedly 

 lonccr than middle one. 



Outer and middle toes of equal length. 



Tip of inner toe, without claw, reach- 

 ing only to the second joint of middle toe. 



Tip of inner toe, without claw, reaching 

 consi derably beyond second j oint of middle 

 toe. 



Tail rather long, more than twice the Tail rather short, not twice as long as 



length of the tarsus, reaching beyond the the tarsus, reaching beyond the wings by 



folded wings by nearly twice the length less than the length of the culmen. 

 of the culmen. 



The above characters are taken from the birds when still in the flesh, 

 and the accompanying figures, showing the difference in the bill of the 

 two genera were drawn before the birds were skinned. 



