BIRDS—PHAETONIDAE—PHAETON FLAVIROSTRIS, 885 
Family PHAETOYIDAE. 
Cu.—Bill long, broad at the base, and the upper outline gradually curving to the point, edges slightly serrated ; nostrils 
pervious ; wings long ; tail with the central feathers extremely elongated ; tarsi short and strong ; toes joined by fall webs; no 
bare space on the face or throat. P 
Sub Family PHAETONINAE. 
Cu.—Bill rather long, with the base broad, the sides compressed and point acute, outline of the upper mandible curving to the 
tip ; nostrils basal, linear and open ; wings long and pointed ; tail graduated, the two central feathers exceedingly elongated ; 
tarsi short ; toes long and connected together by full webs. 
There is but one genus under this sub-family which belongs to North America. 
PHAETON, Linnaeus. 
. 
Phaeton, Linn. S. N. 1756. Type P. aethereus. 
Cu.—Bill about the length of the head, strong, broad at the base, compressed, the culmen curved to the tip, which is pointed; 
nostrils lateral, basal, and pervious, situated in a short groove near the ridge; wings long and pointed, the first primary longest; 
tail graduated, the two middle feathers extremely lengthened and narrow ; tarsi short and stout ; toes rather long, all connected 
together by full webs ; claws small, curved and rather acute. 
These birds frequent the warm parallels of the tropics, and are generally noticed far from 
and; at their breeding places they assemble in considerable numbers. They are excellent 
swimmers, and have enduring power of wing; flying fishes afford them an abundant supply of 
food: these are seized as they emerge from the sea for their short flight above its surface. 
PHAETON FLAVIROSTRIS, Brandt. 
Yellow-billed Tropic Bird. 
Lepturus candidus, Briss. Orn. VI, 1760, 485.—Bon. Comptes Rendus, XLII, 1856, 767. 
Phaeton candidus, Gray, Gen. of Birds, 1847; pl. elxxxiii- 
Phaeton aethereus, Bon. Syn. 1828, No. 361.—Is. Cons. Av II, 1855, 183.—Nurr. Man. II, 1834, 503.—Aup. Orn. 
Biog. IIT, 1835, 442.—Is. Syn. 1839, 312.—Is. Birds Am. VII, 1844, 64; pl. ecccxxvii. 
Phaeton flavirostris, Branpt, Bull. Sc. Acad. Imp. St. Pet. I, 1837, 349.—Sciarer, Proc. Zool, Soc. Lond. 1856, 144. 
The Tropic Bird, Evwanps, Nat. Hist. of Birds, 1749 ; pl. exlix. 
Sp. Co.—White ; wings banded with black ; first five primaries black on the outer webs ; shafts of !ong middle tail feathers 
black to near the end, where they are white. 
Adult. General plumage of the body white, with a satiny gloss, and tinged on the head, back, and wings with cream color ; 
there is rather a broad mark of black in the form of a crescent before the eye, extending over it in a line, and along the side ot 
the head as far as the occiput ; a band of black extends over the wings, beginning near the flexure and crossing about the 
middle of the coverts, where it is rather narrow, but occupying a large space on the base of the secondaries, and most of the 
terminal portion of the tertiaries and scapularies ; the first five primaries are black on the outer webs and a portion of the inner 
next the shaft, remaining part of inner webs and tips of outer white ; the sixth primary has the outer web black at the base; the 
tail is white, the elongated central feathers with a tinge of pale salmon color ; the shafts of all the tail feathers are black nearly 
to the end, terminal portion white, as are all the shafts on the under side ; the long hypochndriacal feathers are broadly marked 
down their centres with greyish black ; bill orange red ; iris brown ; tarsus, hind toe, and outer basal edge of inner toe yellow, 
remaining part of foot black. 
Length, 30 inches ; wing, 11; tail, 183; bill, 2.05; tarsus, .90. 
Hab.—Florida coast. 
The above description is taken from a very perfect specimen obtained on the south side of 
