456 PHAETHONTID^. 



Basal two thirds of the upper and lower mandibles dark blackish 

 horn ; ridge of culmen, cutting-edges, and tips of mandible yellow ; 

 tarsi and basal half of toes yellowish, remaining portion and claws 

 black. Total length about 32 inches, culmen from feathers on 

 forehead 2, wing 10-5-10-7, tail 21, tarsus 0-75. 

 Hah. Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. 



a. S ad. sk. Christmas I., Oct. 5. J. J. Lister, Esq. [P.]. 



b-d. cJ $ ad. sk. Flying-fish Cove, Christmas Dr. J. Murray [P.j. 

 I., Aug. {C. W. Andreics). 



4. Phaethon americanus. 



Tropick Bird, Catesb. Car. ii. App. pi. 14 (1743) [Bermuda; Porto 

 Rico]. 



Phaeton sethereus, Aud. {nee Linn.) B. Amer. vii. p. 223, pi 427 

 (1889). 



Phaeton flavirostris, Bryant (nee Brandt) P. Best. Soc. vii. p. 128 

 (1859) [Bahamas: habits; breeding] ; JBaird, B. N. Amer, p. 885 

 (1860) ; Alhrecht, J.f. O. 1861, p. 57 '"Bahamas]; Gundl. J.f. O. 

 1861, p. 348, 1862, pp.96, 190 [Cuba]": Salvin, Ibw, 1870, p. 116 

 [Costa Kica] ; Cvues, Ke\j N. Amer. B. p. 307 (1872); Gundl. 

 J.f. O. 1875, p. 403 [Cuba: habits], 1878, p. 191 [Porto Rico] ; 

 Cory, B. Bahama Is. p. 204 (1880) ; Cones, Bidl. Nutt. Orn. C. v. 

 p. 63 (1880) [Western New York] ; Maipiard, B. E. N. Amer. 

 p. 473 (1881) ; Coues, Kexj N. Amer. B. p. 732 (1884) ; Baird, 

 Breio. ^'- Ridytc. Water-B. N. Amer. ii. p. 186 (1884) ; Beid, 

 Btdl. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxv. p. 263 (1884) [Bermuda] ; Cort/, B. 

 Haiti ^ S. Domimjo, p. 175 (1885) ; id. Auk, v. p. 73 (1888) 

 [Bahamas ; Antilles] ; Ridyw. Man. N. A. B. p. 74 (1889) ; Cory, 

 B. W. Ind. p. 274 (1889) ; Scott, Auk, viii. pp. 249-256 (1891) 

 [Jamaica] ; Cory, Cat. W. Ind B. p. 84 (1892) ; A. O. U. Check-l. 

 p. 39 (1895) ; Prentiss, Auk, xiii. p. 239 (1896) [Bermuda] 



Phaeton americanus, Grant, Bull. B. O. C. no. xlix. p. xxiii (1897) 

 [Bermuda to West Indies]. 



Adult. Closely allied to P. lepturus, from which it differs in the 

 following particulars : — the black on the first primary (Extends to 

 within half an inch of the extremity, on the second and fourth it 

 neiirly reaches the tip ; the third quill is entirely blacker sometimes 

 very narrowly tipped with white, and the fifth has the outer web 

 black to within about an inch of the extremity. Bill uniform yellow, 

 with little or no trace of dusky on the base of either mandible. 

 Tail composed of 12 feathers. Total length about 30 inches, 

 culmen from feathers on forehead 2-2"l, wing lU-5-11-2, tail 16-8- 

 21-5, tarsus 0-85-0-90. 



Hah. East coast of N. America from Bermuda to the West 

 Indies. 



a. Ad. sk. Bermuda. Capt. S. G. Reid [P.]. 



b-n. S 2 ad. sk. Bermuda, May (C. H. Mer- Salviu-Godman Coll. 



et St. riam). (Tj-pes of the species.) 



o. Ad. sk. West Indies (^SzV G-'.A'wy^e/-). Howard Saunders, 



Esq. [P.]. 



p. S ad.sk. Dominica, West Indies (Jl ^. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



Ober). 



