a 
243 
the early part of February. The greater number of these 
birds, however, lay in December, and most of the nests that I 
have examined later than the 15th of January, have contained 
young ones. 
The 3rd, 4th, or 3rd and 4th primaries are the longest. The 5th nearly 
aslong. The Ist from £5 to 6 shorter. the 2nd from 025 to 13 shorter. 
Exterior tail feathers from 1 to 1°5 shorter than central ones. 
Description. Legs and feet, greyish white, sometimes with a faint 
bluish tinge, usually much stained and discoloured aboui the toes. The 
inner toe and claw are very large and thick, very nearly the same size as the 
hind toe. The pads, especially of these toes, are large, and the whole 
surface of the sole rough and shagreen-like. The claws black, all very large 
and sharp ; a few large scales on the front of the tarsus, (which is feathered 
in front ior the upper one-third and sometimes nearly one-half) just below 
the feathered portion, the rest coarsely reticulate. Nearly the whole ridge 
of the middle toe is covered with large transverse scales, and there are about 
seven of these on the exterior, and five or six on the interior and hind toes. 
The scales just above the claws, especially on the inner and hind toes, large 
and very thick. 
Trides. Pale brownish yellow, in some lights almost silvery. 
Bill. Cere, pale bluish green. Nosirils, gape and base of lower mandible 
bluish. Upper mandible greenish horny, dusky at tip. Tip of lower man- 
dible, brownish as a rule, but in some the whole lower mandible is a sort of 
bluish or greenish horny. 
Tongue. Rather long, thick, fleshy, of nearly uniform width throughout, 
obtuse ended, with a conspicuous groove down the centre. 
Plumage (Adulis). Forehead and a streak continued nearly the whole 
way over theeyes, somewhat dingy white. The whole of the rest of the 
front and top oi the head and occiput, palish whitey brown. The feathers 
somewhat abraded and slightly darker shafted. Feathers of the nape, and 
upper part of the back of the neck, paler and slightly more rufous; the 
feathers much elongated and pointed. The feathers of the base of the back 
of the neck rather browner again : broad, sharp pointed, and somewhat paler 
edged. Upper back a somewhat darker brown again, feathers sometimes 
narrowly paler edged. Middle and lower back, rump and upper iail coverts, 
dark, sometimes very dark, brown. Feathers of the tail darker brown, 
almost black, with a 43 (in males) to 53 (in females) inch broad, transverse, 
pure white bar on both webs. The scapulars, and the whole of the wings, 
very dark rich brown. The second to sixth primary conspicuously emarginate 
on the outer webs, and sometimes slightly greyish just above the emargina- 
tion. Lores, chin, cheeks, ear coveris, and throat pure white, the feathers of 
the throat very narrow, greatly lengthened, and with the webs__much disuni- 
ted. Feathers of the side of the neck, beyond the white, of the same fulvous 
brown, and lengthened in the same way as the feathers of the back of the 
neck. The lower neck, breast, and abdomen, dull, somewhat rufous brown, 
darker on each side, just above the thighs. Feathers below the vent, and 
lower tail feathers dark brown, the longest obscurely tipped, or mottled with 
fulvous white. The axillaries, and lesser under coverts of the wing, very dark, 
almost blackish brown. Under surface of the quills, and their greater lower 
coverts, with a bluish or slaty tinge in some lights. Upper portion of the 
thigh coverts, dark brown. Lower portion, paler and more rufous brown. 
