604 MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



in their habits, breed in holes in the rocks, lay but one egg, 

 and are almost all of small size and more or less sombre 

 plumage. The largest member of the group is the gigantic 

 Albatross (Diomedea exulaus], not uncommonly found far from 

 land in both the northern and southern oceans. The Albatross 

 sometimes measures as much as fifteen feet from the tip of 

 one wing to that of the other, and the flight is powerful in 

 proportion. 



Pam. 3. TotipalmatcB, characterised by having the hinder 

 toe or hallux more or less directed inwards, and united to the 

 innermost of the anterior toes by a membrane (fig. 332, A). 

 In this family are the Pelicans, Cormorants, Gannets, Frigate- 

 birds, Darters, and others. They all fly well, and have short 

 legs, and amongst them are almost the only Natatorial Birds 

 which ever perch upon trees. 



The Pelicans (Pdicanidcz) are large birds, which subsist on 

 fish, and are found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the New 

 World. They sometimes measure as much as from ten to 

 fifteen feet between the tips of the wings, and most of the 

 bones are pneumatic, so that the skeleton is extremely light. 

 The lower mandible is composed of two flexible branches 

 which serve for the support of a large "gular" pouch, formed 

 by the loose unfeathered skin of the neck. The fish captured 

 by the bird are temporarily deposited in this pouch, and the 

 parent birds feed their young out of it. The bill is long and 

 straight, and the upper mandible is strongly hooked at the tip. 



In the Cormorants (Phalacrocorax) there is no pouch be- 

 neath the lower mandible, but the skin of the throat is very 

 lax and distensible; the nail of the middle toe is serrated. 

 They are widely distributed over the world, one species being 

 very abundant in many parts of Europe. The Gannets (Sula) 

 have a compressed bill, the margins of which are finely crenate 

 or toothed. They occur abundantly on many parts of the 

 coasts of northern Europe, one of the most noted of their 

 stations being the Bass Rock at the mouth of the Firth of 

 Forth. Another species (Sula variegata) is of greater import- 

 ance to man, as being one of the birds from the accumulated 

 droppings of which guano is derived. The Frigate - birds 

 (Tachypetes) are chiefly remarkable for their extraordinary 

 powers of flight, conditioned by their enormously long and 

 powerful wings and long forked tail. They occur on the coasts 

 of tropical America, and are often found at immense distances 

 from any land. The Tropic -birds (Phaeton) inhabit inter- 

 tropical regions, and are found far out at sea. They have 

 short feeble feet, and long pointed wings. 



