GANITET. 
19 
twelve feathers, the two middle ones being much longer than 
the others: they are strong and pointed; upper tail coverts, 
white; under tail coverts, white. Legs in front, bluish green, 
or bluish yellow, behind nearly black; they are feathered 
down to the joint; toes, green, the first joints almost black: 
they are covered with small scales; claws, greyish white, the 
inner edge of the middle one dilated and serrated; webs, 
blackish grey. 
The female is like the male. 
The young bird is on first being hatched of a bluish 
black colour; in about a week it becomes covered with white 
down. In its first plumage it is totally different from the 
old bird, and at the same time of an exceedingly elegant 
appearance. Bill, nearly black; iris, dusky slate-colour, the 
eyelids blue black. Head, crown, neck, and nape, darker or 
lighter slate-colour, according to the age of the bird, and 
each feather is more or Vss tipped with a triangular-shaped 
white spot; chin, throat and breast above, light grey, 
mottled with white, the tip of each feather being of the 
latter colour in a triangular-shaped mark; below, white. 
Back, dark or light slate-colour, according to age, the tip 
of each feather white. In the second year the white in¬ 
creases on the plumage. Plumage, dusky, greyish black; 
tail, dusky greyish black; legs, lead-colour in front, behind, 
blackish; toes, blackish grey; webs, blackish grey. 
In the third year the white increases, the tertiaries and 
long scapulars remaining dark, or spotted with dark. The 
full white plumage is acquired in the fourth year. 
