of the United States. 347 



62. PH(ENICOPTERUS. 



Phamicopterus, L. Briss. Gm. Lath. III. Cuv. Temm. 

 Vieill. Ranz. 



Bill longer than the head, large, higher than wide, light 

 and hollow, furnished at base with a membrane, suddenly 

 bent downward in the middle : upper mandible furrowed each 

 side, convex, high and trigonate at base, beyond the bend 

 very thin and almost plane, narrow, curved, and rather obtuse 

 at tip ; lower wider, oval, forming a broad deep channel, at 

 base not so high as the upper, very deep at the bend ; mar- 

 gins of both wide, finely toothed, those of the upper densely 

 striated internally ; palate carinated : nostrils in the furrow, 

 somewhat distant from the base, approximated, narrow, lon- 

 gitudinal, pervious, furnished above with an extensible mem- 

 brane : tongue thick, fleshy, covered by recurved, hooked 

 papilla?, glandular at base, cartilaginous and acute at tip. 

 Head small, near the bill naked; eyes large: neck exceed- 

 ingly long, very slender : body rounded. Feet very slen- 

 der; naked space of the tibia twice, tarsus thrice, as long 

 as the middle toe ; tarsus hardly compressed, reticulated ; 

 anterior toes moderate; webs almost entire; hind toe ex- 

 ceedingly short, articulated high upon the tarsus, touching the 

 ground at tip : nails short, laminar, the middle tile-shaped. 

 Wings moderate, quills forty ; first and second primaries 

 subequal, longest. Tail short, of sixteen feathers. 



Female smaller, and a little paler than the male. Young 

 differing greatly from the adult, and changing their plumage 

 repeatedly. Moult simple, annual. Colors red, at first white 

 and rose. 



Living and migrating in large flocks, frequenting desert sea 

 shores and salt marshes. Extremely shy and watchful : es- 

 tablish sentinels to give warning of danger by a loud sound, 

 and lead their flight. When flying form a triangle, a line 

 when alighting, and especially when fishing. Solitary only 



