148 PHAETON INDICUS, Hume, PHAETON HTHERIUS, Lin, 
seven inches beyond the tips of the longest upper tail- 
coverts, while in izdicus this is the case for less than two inches 
(in some specimens for less than one inch). The barrings 
on the upper surface, specially on the scapulars of a@therwus, 
area sort of dusky slatey, while in indicus they are jet black 
in some specimens, and all but black in the rest. A similar 
difference in colour is noticeable in the white margined tertials 
of the two species, and even in that of the subaxillary flank 
tufts. 
Third as to feet. There appears to be more black on the feet 
of indicus; in a@therius the inner long toe is only black on 
the nail and small terminal joint, whereas in indicus the 
black covers the second joint also. 
How far, as I have already said, these minor differences 
would prove constant in a large series of a@therius, I cannot 
say; but the differences in the colour of the plumage and bills, 
at any rate, would certainly seem so, to judge from the 
following remarks by my friend Major Butler, contained in a 
letter recently received from him :— 
“A word now about tropic birds. I think I remember your 
discussing the subject of plumage, length of tail, &c., in STRAY 
FEATHERS in the diagnosis of Phaéton indicus of the Mekran 
Coast, and on that account I made a point of examining two or 
three skins of the St. Helena bird, which I take from memory 
(no books on board) to be P. e@therius with the following 
results :— 
“ Firstly.—The central tail feathers seemed to me greatly to 
exceed the length of any of the Indian specimens I have 
seen, v2z., 24 feet from vent to tip of the longest pair I measur- 
ed; the feathers were much wornand showed scarcely any 
traces of tiie web towards the tips. 
“¢ Secondly.—The color seemed to me to differ from that 
of the Indian specimens, viz., (extract from my note book) :— 
‘Plumage above beautifully pencilled with dark slatey grey, 
extending to the thighs on either side of the body. Lower parts 
pure glossy white like satin. Bill bright coral red.’ 
“‘ Now, as far as I recollect, in the birds I shot along the 
Mekran Coast the markings above were black or nearly so, and 
the tail very much shorter. As regards the colour of the bill, too, 
there may be some difference; they did not seem the same 
somehow, but this can be easily settled by reference to the 
tickets of your birds and those I sent you.” 
It is to be hoped that henceforth no one will place P. indicus 
as asynonym of P. a@therius without specifying clearly why 
they reject the former species, or without a careful comparison 
of a series of both forms. 
AOE 
