42 BRITISH BIRDS. 



" it alighted on a fishing-boat, two or three leagues 

 from land, May ^rd, 1822, and was taken: when 

 brought on shore, it soon died. The bill, to the 

 eyes, measured rive inches, straight, compressed, 

 yellow, with longitudinal nostrils: on the head, a 

 pendent crest formed of two long and slender 

 feathers; a naked skin (lore) reaching to the eyes; 

 the neck very long, and a singular provision is 

 made for lengthening and contracting it; the cer- 

 vical vertebrae pass for some distance in the usual 

 manner; but, at nearly half way clown the neck, 

 seem as if broken, the vertebrse turning forward, so 

 that the gullet and wind-pipe pass behind; which 

 structure keeps them from being too much stretched 

 when the neck is bent. Body very thin ; legs long, 

 yellow, except the fore part of the leg below the 

 knee, and the toes ; the first joint of the outer toes 

 united, none of the toes serrated. When stretched 

 out, from the bill to the toes, three feet eleven 

 inches; spread of the wings, four feet five inches. 

 Top of the head, black; body, a reddish brown; 

 under the chin, white; the neck is brown; the 

 breast, reddish brown ; quill feathers of the wing, 

 black; lesser coverts, brown; long slender feathers 

 hanging from the upper part of the back." It has 

 been judged proper to figure this bird, with the 

 abrupt bend of the neck, as it appears in Mr. 

 Couch's .drawing, which was taken while the bird 

 was fresh and in full feather; and our figure, for 

 this reason, has been somewhat more fully feathered 

 than the stuffed specimen, which appeared to be 

 much dried and shrivelled. 



