PROCELLARIID^ DAPTION 485 



Genus VII. DAPTION. 



Type. 



Daption, Stepli. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii, p. 239 (1825)... D. capensis. 



Bill rather short and weak, less than the length of the head ; 

 unguis less than half the bill, palate with a few lamellae along the 

 sides ; nasal tube short, about one third of the length of the culmen 

 with a single anteriorly directed opening, which, however, is divided 

 within ; space between the rami of the lower mandible bare ; wings 

 well developed, the first primary the longest ; tail evenly rounded, 

 of fourteen feathers ; tarsus slender, covered with hexagonal scales, 

 shorter than the middle toe ; claw of hind toe small. 



The well known Cape Pigeon is the only species of this genus ; 

 it is found throughout the Southern Ocean. 



796. Daption capensis. Cape Pigeon. 



Procellaria capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 213 (1766) ; Grill, K. Vet. 



Akad. Handl ii, no. 10, p. 58 (1858); Layard, B. S. Aft: p. 361 



(1867) ; Sperling, Ibis, 1872, p. 76. 

 Daption capensis, Gould, B. Anstr. vii, pi. 53 (1847) ; Layard, Ibis, 



1862, p. 97; Gurney, in Andersson's B. DamaraL p. 353 (1872); 



Sharpe, ed. Lcnjard's B. S. Aft: p. 767 (1884) ; Swinburne, Proc. 



li. Plnjs. Soc. 'Ed in. ix, p. 198 (1886) ; Green, Ocean Birds, p. 32 



(1887) ; Salvin, Cat. B. M. xxv, p. 428 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, 



p. 168 (1896) ; Reichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 28 (1900); Chun, Au's der 



Tiefen Weltm. p. 135, with figure (1900). 



Description. Adult. Forehead, crown and sides of the face and 

 neck slaty-black, rest of upper surface white, each feather tipped 

 with slaty; primaries slaty, white on the concealed bases of both 

 webs, except the first, which is only white on the inner web, 

 lesser coverts slaty, others white edged with slate ; tail white, 

 broadly tipped with dusky black ; below white, a few of the feathers 

 on the chin and of the under tail-coverts tipped with slaty ; inner 

 under wing-coverts white, those towards the edge of the wing 

 slaty ; axillaries white, tipped with slate. 



Iris dark brown ; bill black, legs brownish black. 



Length (in flesh) 14'0 ; wing 10-5 ; tail 4-Q ; culmen 1-3 ; tarsus 

 1-8 ; middle toe 1-95. 



The nestlings in down are greyish above and greyish white below 

 and have a black bill, according to Hall. 



