588 Report of State Geologist. 



Length, 37.50-41.00; wing, 33.00-27.10; tail, 14.35-19.25; depth of 

 fork, about half its length; bill, 4.25-5.15. 



Range. — Tropical and sub-tropical regions; north to Florida, Texas 

 and California; accidentally to Nova Scotia, Indiana and Kansas. 



Nest, of sticks in bushes or on rock near the sea. Egg, 1; chalky- 

 white; 2.62 by 1.75. 



Accidental visitor. This graceful bird of the tropic seas rarely wan- 

 ders far inland. Along the Gulf of Mexico it is a resident. Only once, 

 so far as we know, has it been identified in Indiana. In the fall of 

 1896 I saw, in the office of Mr. J. E. Beasley, the well-known taxider- 

 mist, at Lebanon, Ind., a nicely mounted specimen of a young male of 

 this species. I learned it was killed near Shelbyville, Ind., July 14, 

 1896, by Mr. W. S. Patterson, and came into Mr. Beasley's hands 

 for preservation the next day. I took the following measurements from 

 the mounted specimen: Length, 36.00; wing, 24.00; tail, 16.00; 

 depth of fork, 7.00; bill, 4.25. There is only one other record for the 

 Ohio Valley. In the spring of 1880 a specimen was taken in Franklin 

 County, 0., and is now in the possession of Dr. Renshaw, of Sugar 

 Grove, 0. (Davie., Nests and Eggs, N. A. Birds, pp. 59, 60). There 

 are two other records that are equally remarkable in showing the in- 

 land wanderings of this species. In the Milwaukee Public Museum 

 is one of these birds, which was killed in the vicinity of Humboldt, 

 Wis., a few miles north of Milwaukee, in August, 1880. In the same 

 month (August 16, 1880) one was killed with a stone while sitting on 

 a tree in Osborne County, Kan. It was mounted, but track has been 

 lost of the specimen. However, a photograph was taken, which serves 

 to verify the record (Bird Migration in the Miss. Valley. Cooke, p. 

 60). 



D. Order ANSERES. Ducks and Geesk. 

 X. Family ANATID^. Ducks am> Geese. 



a'. Neck shorter than body. 



aa^. Space between eye and bill wholly or partly naked. Cairina. 18a 



aa^. Space between eye and bill feathered. 



h'^. Front of tarsus divided into more or less s(|uare plates; its lengtli less than 

 middle toe without claw; sexes unlike. 

 r'. Hill narrow, K)ug; apparently witli teetli. Subfamily Mkrcjin-K. 



<f' . Processes of mandibles oonspinioiisly «ooth-like, pointing backwards at 



tips. MERCiANSKR. 1 ."> 



(/-'. Processes of mandibles short, not pointing; backwards at tij)S. 



l.OPHOnVTF.S. 14 



