350 PHAETHONTIDyE. 



forming a band round the crown ; outer webs, shafts, and portions 

 of inner webs near shafts of first five primaries black except the 

 narrow extreme w T hite tips of the feathers ; tertiaries, primary 

 coverts, greater tertiary coverts, and long flank-feathers black 

 with white borders ; shafts of rectrices black except at the ends. 



Young birds have a few black spots on the head. 



Bill dull orange-red, inner margins of both mandibles dusky ; 

 irides blackish brown ; legs, hallux, and base of other toes and of 

 their webs yellowish white ; rest of feet black. Tail-feathers 14. 



Length (including long tail-feathers) about 21 ; tail 7'5-12 ; 

 tail without median rectrices 4; wing 11-5; tarsus 1; bill from 

 gape 3-25. 



Distribution. All seas around India from the Straits of Malacca 

 to the Persian Gulf, also the lied Sea. 



This species is probably found throughout the Northern Indian 

 Ocean ; it represents the Atlantic P. cetherius, but is considerably 

 smaller, and has a much shorter tail. 



1534. Phaethon flavirostris. The White Tropic-bird. 



Phaeton Candidas (Bnss.}, Blyth, Cat. p. 296; Jevdon, B. I. iii, 



p. 850. 

 Phaeton flavirostris, Brandt, Bull. Acad. St. Petersb. ii, p. 349 



(1837) ; Beavan $ Tytl. Ibis, 1867, p. 334 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 323 ; 



id. S. F. v, p. 498 ; Hume, Cat. no. 997 ; Legyc, Birds Ceyl. p. 1172; 



Gates, B. B. ii, p. 225. 



Coloration white and satiny ; a crescentic patch in front of each 

 eye, and a broad stripe behind it to the ear-coverts black, as are 

 the outer webs, shafts, and inner webs near the shafts of the first 

 five or six primaries, with the exception of the white tips, -75 to 

 1-5 inches long, in Indian Ocean birds ; greater portion of each 

 tertiary and a band along the smaller secondary coverts some 

 distance from the edge of the wing also black. 



Young birds as usual are barred above with black. 



Bill pale yellow ; legs and base of toes olive-yellow ; feet black. 

 Tail-feathers 12. 



Length 20 ; tail 18 ; wing 10*75 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 

 2-8. 



Distribution. Tropical seas all round the world. Several speci- 

 mens have been recorded within Indian limits, amongst them one 

 on the Ceylon coast identified by Legge, one at the Andamans 

 obtained by Col. Tytler, and one inland in Cachar recorded by 

 Hume. 



1535. Phaethon rubricauda. The Red-tailed Tropic-bird. 



Phaeton rubricauda, Bodd. Tabl. PL Enl. p. 57 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, 

 p. 849 ; Hume, S. F, ii, p. 322 ; Hume, Cat. no. 996 ; Gates, B. B. 

 ii, p. 224. 



