136 



pointed ; tail short, of twelve or fourteen feathers ; tibiae placed far 

 back, concealed for the greater part and unfeathered inferiorly ; tarsi 

 laterally compressed, shorter than the middle toe, the posterior sur- 

 face covered with small irregularly shaped rough scales; hind toe 

 wanting ; three anterior toes connected by a membrane, which ex- 

 tends their entire length, and also tbrms a narrow border on the 

 inside of the inner toe ; the outer as long as the middle, and both 

 considerably longer than the inner toe ; claws laterally compressed 

 except the inner edge of middle one which is expanded. 



Sub-family Uein^ Gray. 

 Ch. Height of bill not much exceeding the breadth ; upper man- 

 dible with the culmen, commencing in a sharp point, separating the 

 feathers and rounded and more or less curved to the tip, which is 

 hollowed on the under side like a gouge ; nasal furrow conspicuous 

 anteriorly, the posterior portion concealed by the feathered scale 

 which partially covers the linear nostril ; posterior portion of the cut- 

 ting edges of uj)per and lower mandible everted and sharp, then 

 indexed and rounded for about half their length, with the remaining 

 portion nearly perpendicular; first primary longest; tail rounded, 

 reaching but little beyond the wing. 



Genus Catarractes Moehring. 



Catarractes Moehring, Av. Gen. 1752. 



Ch. Upper mandible with the anterior part of culmen slightly 

 curved, at first gradually, more suddenly towards the tip ; the cutting 

 edges nearly straight from the rictus, and slightly curved downwards 

 towards the tip, near which they are distinctly notched ; nasal scales 

 entirely covered with feathers and extending almost to the anterior 

 extremity of the furrow ; keel ascending, more than half the length 

 of culmen, with the angle conspicuous and grooved longitudinally on 

 its inferior surface. Anterior face of tarsus and uj:)per part of all the 

 toes, but the basal portion of the first joint of the inner covered with 

 narrow transverse scales ; sides of tarsus and basal portion of inner 

 toe with numerous irregularly, generally hexagonally, shaped scales, 

 largest on the inner face of tarsus and growing smaller on both faces 

 posteriorly ; tail of twelve feathers ; a peculiar crease or furrow in 

 the feathers runs backwards from the posterior canthus of the eye for 

 a short distance. 



Catarractes troille Lin. 

 Lomvia Hoieri Rail. Syn. Meth. Av. p. 1 20. 

 Plautus rostro larino Klein, p. 146, No. 2. 

 Colymbus troille Lin. Faun. Suec. ed. 1761, No. 101). GineL 



Syst. 1, 2, p. 685. 

 Colymbus minor (Jmel. Syst. 1, 2, p. 585. 



