REMARKS ON THE GENUS SULA. 319 



I have described the adult of this species fully (S. F. IV, 483), 

 and ouly quote this much of Brisson's description to show that 

 there is not a shadow of doubt as to what his Sula was, and 

 that he described our present species accurately. 



Now, besides this, Sula (uninomial, he gave no second names 

 to the type of each genus), Brisson described another species 

 Sula fusca also from a specimen; and in his usual careful way. 

 He had both specimens before him at the same time, and the 

 presumption therefore is that fusca is not the same species. 



The description, however, clearly proves that it is not. He says:— 



" Scarcely larger than a domestic duck, 



" Length, 26-28 ; bill to gape, 4-03 ; tail, 9-87; tarsi, M9 ; 

 mid toe and claw, 275 ; * * * * expanse, 5696; folded 

 wings extend to two-thirds of the tail" (in sula it is three- fourths). 



" Head, throat, neck, breast, belly, sides, and thighs of a 

 rather light ashy-brown ; the back and scapulars a little 

 darker; the longest of the latter being even ashy blackish. 



<e Rump and upper and lower tail coverts ashy white ; under- 

 wing coverts ashy brown ; lesser upper wing coverts and the 

 larger ditto nearest the body of the same colour, but the laro-er 

 ones farthest from the body are ashy blackish. The wine 

 is composed of 37 feathers of this latter colour, of which, how- 

 ever, the interior webs towards their bases are lighter coloured. 

 The tail consists of 14 feathers, the central pair ashy, the rest 

 brownish ashy, especially on the outer web, aud the exterior 

 feather on each side greyish white at the tip. The 

 central pair are longest, the laterals diminish successively, 

 so that the external pair are 5*65 shorter than the central pair. 

 The region on each side between the beak and eye is bare skin 

 and red ; the bill, tarsi, toes, and webs are also red ; the 

 nails are reddish. Found on the coasts of Africa and America." 



Now whatever this may be, this is certainly not the present 

 species, and this fusca is Linnaaus' fiber, and hence this latter 

 name must, as has already been urged by others, cease to be 

 applied to the common Booby. 



Finsch and Hartlaub think ihni fiber is a youug of cyanops, 

 but in my opinion there is no question looking to dimensions, 

 number of tail feathers (cyanops has 16), &c. ; that Brisson 

 described a 3 r oung specimen of piscatrix, or, if my surmise prove 

 correct, of the smaller of the two species now confounded under 

 the name piscatrix. 



I have already described the adult of our present species 

 from a fresh specimen (IV, 483), the young is an uniform 

 rather dark brown, the head and neck rather paler, and accord- 

 ing to Finsch (op. cit. 261) has the bill and naked throat patch 

 violet black, and the feet orange brownish. 



