Plumage of Rhodostethia rosea. 485 



may therefore be imagined when, on proceeding to the case 

 containing the Laridae, I saw before me two specimens of 

 this rare bird in immature plumage. Not being aware of any 

 account of this interesting stage, and presuming that it will 

 be equally new to most ornithologists, I do not hesitate to 

 give a description of it. 



Bill black, feathered to base of nostril, thence to tip '6 in. ; 

 from gape to tip 1"2 in. 



Head white ; a few dark hairlike feathers round the eye of 

 one specimen, and beneath the eye of the other; black col- 

 lar slightly developed on the one, distinct in the other, espe- 

 cially on nape. 



Breast pure white, with a pink tinge on the lower part and 

 on the abdomen. 



Mantle to rump grey, lighter on shoulders. 



Wing : length (underneath measurement) 9'4— 9"5 inches. 

 Primaries, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd smoke-brown on outer web and 

 shaft, this colour running round the tip and some way up 

 the inner web, the remainder of which is white ; on the 4th 

 and 5th the white portion increases, but the shaft continues 

 dark, although successively becoming lighter, till on the 10th 

 it is pure white ; in the 6th the dark marking on the webs 

 becomes a brown bar, which gradually decreases until it is 

 nearly lost in the 9th, and totally so in the 10th primary, 

 which is entirely white. These dark tips give a very pretty 

 barred appearance to the wings. Secondaries pearl-grey, 

 passing into white, thus forming a white band. Carpals and 

 upper wing-coverts smoke-brown, faintly tipped with white ; 

 lower wing-coverts grey, like the mantle, but tertials smoke- 

 brown. 



Tail consisting of twelve feathers, pure white in one spe- 

 cimen ; in the other the 3rd and 4th feathers on each side 

 are barred with smoke-brown ; the 4th projects beyond them 

 a trifle, the 5th decidedly, whilst the central feathers extend 

 •75 in. beyond the 5th, making total projection about one 

 inch. Total length of tail 4-5 inch ; wings in stufied speci- 

 men reach a trifle beyond tip. 



Tarsus l'15-r2 in., middle toe 1*2 in., outer toe I'l in. 



