732 PH^ETONTID/E. 



Family 



Bill Ternlike, moderate, stout, straight, the culmen curved, and the margins 

 finely serrated ; nostrils pervious ; tail with the two central feathers much 

 elongated ; lower part of tibia naked- 



Gen. PHJETON.-ZzV/. 

 Characters same as those of the family, 



1446. Phaeton rubricauda, Bodd., Tabi. PL Eni p. 57 ; Jerd., 



B. Ind* ii. p. 849 ; Salvad., Ucc. Born. p. 370 ; Hume, Str. F. ii.p. 322 ; viii. 

 p. 116. Oates, B. Br. Burm. ii.p. 224. Phaeton phrenicurus, Gm., Syst. 

 Nat. i. p. 583; Gould, B. Austr. vii. p. 73 Phaeton setherius, Block, Voy. 

 Blonde. App. p. 251. The RED-TAILED TROPIC BIRD. 



Whole plumage silky white, except a mark in front of and behind the eye, 

 and the shafts of the primaries and tail feathers, which are black ; lengthened 

 central pair of tail feathers red ; feathers of the flanks slate colour mesially, 

 also of most of the tertiaries. Bill yellow ; tarsus and basal portion of the 

 toes and webs yellow ; remainder of feet black. 



Length. -33 inches; tail 19 ; wing 13*2; tarsus i'2 ; bill from gape 3-2. 



Hal. Bay of Bengal. Breeds on islands, laying a single egg in a burrow ; 

 egg reddish grey, marked with reddish brown. 



1447. PhgetOn flavirOStris, Brand.t, Bull. Acad. Sc. St. Petersb. 

 ii. p. 349; Hume, Str. F. ii. p. 323 ; v. p. 498 ; viii. p. 116; Legge, Birds, 

 Ceylon, p. 1172 ; Oates, B. Br. Burm. ii. p. 225. Phaeton candidus (Briss.), 

 apud. Jerd., B. 2nd. ii. p. 850. The WHITE TROPIC BIRD. 



Entire plumage white, except a mark in front of the eye continued as 

 a broad band down the sides of the head ; the first four primaries with the 

 outer web ; the shaft and a narrow portion of the inner web to within an inch 

 of the tip ; the basal portion of the shaft of the next few primaries ; a broad 

 band along the median wing coverts, greater portion of the tertiaries and 

 the tips of the scapulars ; also the shafts of the lengthened tail feathers and 

 the basal two-thirds of the others which are black ; longer flank feathers 

 streaked with slate colour. Bill in the dry specimen pale yellow, with a 

 pale plumbeous line along the central portion of both mandibles; tarsus 

 and basal portion of feet yellow ; rest of feet black. (Oates.) 



Length. 30 inches ; tail 18 ; wing iO'6 ; tarsus 0-9 ; bill from gape 2-5. 



Hab. Ross Island (Andaman Group). Breeds on Ascension Island. 

 Oates adds that a specimen of this Phaeton was captured at a considerable 

 distance from the sea in Cachar. 



1448- PhSDton indiCUS, Hume, Str. F. iv. p. 481 ; Butler, Str. F. v. 

 p. 302 ; Hume and Dav., Str. F* vi. p. 493; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 116; 



