886 



U. S p. R. K. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



Cuba. It is without doubt the species described and figured by Audubon, and which recent 

 writers refer to the " candidus" of Brisson, {flavirostris of Brandt.) 



In a monograph of the Phaetonidae, given by Professor F. Brandt in the Bulletin of the St, 

 Petersburg Academy, he says Gmelin, Latham, and others have confounded the two species 

 aethereus, Linn., and candidus, Briss. 



The above bird agrees with the description of " candidus" as given by Brandt, diifering only 

 in having the six outer primaries marked with black instead of four ; six is the number stated 

 by Edwards, whose figure agrees with the present species. The black markings on the 

 primaries probably vary with age, as in many species of gulls. 



Mr. Sclater, in Zool. Proc, (as above,) adopts Brandt's name o?" flavirostris," for the reason 

 that " Brisson was no binomalist, and has no claim to bestow specific names in a binominal 

 system." 



I have another specimen, apparently of this species, purchased some years since from a dealer, 

 the locality from which it was obtained being unknown. The black markings are distributed 

 much the same as in the specimen from Cuba, but the black is confined to the four outer prima- 

 ries, not crossing the shaft of the fourth, and on the fifth a very narrow margining of black on 

 each side of the shaft near the base ; the black is much further removed from the tips also. 

 The prevailing color, instead of being white, is of a fine deep salmon, of a very uniform shade 

 throughout ; the hypochondrical feathers are striped with greyish black, of which color are the 

 U| per tail coverts for about half their length at the base ; the bill is dusky greenish olive at the 

 base of the upper mandible and sides of the lower, the remainder pale yellow ; the toes are all 

 yellow at the base. The length is 32 inches; the wing 11 J. 



In the above plumage it agrees with a figure of this species given by Keichenbach, Syst. Av. 

 pi. 30, taken from a specimen in the Dresden Museum. 



