348 PHAfiTHONTIDJE. 



Birds of the year are said to be greyish brown throughout. At 

 a later stage the upper parts and neck all round are dark brown, 

 the breast and abdomen white. This plumage is probably replaced 

 by that of the adult, some skins with the upper surface mostly 

 white retaining dark spots on the wing-coverts and lower back. 

 S. cynnops in the dark plumage is distinguished from S. Uuc.oc/aster 

 by having only the neck, not the breast, brown, and by its white 

 wing-lining. 



Bill yellow or greenish yellow; loral and facial skin dark slate- 

 colour ; i rides yellow, reddish, 01^ greenish yellow; legs and toes 

 dark slaty or plumbeous ; webs darker (Legge). Tail-feathers 

 16 or 18. 



Length 32; tail 7; wing 16-5; tarsus 2*2 : bill from gape 5*1. 

 Birds from the South Pacific are larger. 



Distribution. Tropical seas. This Booby is of occasional occur- 

 rence on the Indian coasts both east and west of India. Specimens 

 have been obtained by Butler off Mekran, by Murray at Karachi, 

 aud by Sinclair close to Bombay. 



Family PHAETHONTID^E. 



The members of this family are about the size of the smaller 

 Gulls, and combine the structure of Gannets or Cormorants with 

 the habits and appearance of Terns. They have a satiny white 

 plumage, with a few black markings. The bill is pointed, not 

 hooked, the nostrils are narrowly pervious, and the palate is im- 

 perfectly desmognathous, the maxillo-palatines being separate 

 behind, though united with the nasal septum anteriorly, and the 

 vomer being well-developed and conspicuous. Cervical vertebroe 

 15. Ambiens absent, femoro-caudal, semitendinosus, and accessory 

 semitendinosus present, the last-named muscle not occurring in 

 other Steganopodous birds. Syringeal muscles present. Members 

 of the present family are also distinguished by laying spotted eggs. 



A single genus. 



Genus PHAETHON, Linn., 1766. 



Bill stout, slightly curved throughout, the margins finely ser- 

 rated. Wings very long, 1st primary longest. Middle pair of 

 tail-feathers excessively elongated and attenuated. Tarsus very 

 short. 



Four or five species are known, of which three have been recorded 

 from Indian seas. 



