SULID^ — THE GANNETS — SULA. 171 



A» Malar region, with sides of chin and throat, leathered ; a narrow strip of naked skin down the 

 middle line of the throat. (^Dysporus.) 



1. S. bassana. Legs and feet blackish (in the dried skin). Adult: White, the remiges brown- 



ish dusky, the head and neck above washed with buff. Youmj : Dusky, streaked or speckled 

 with white. Wing, 19.50 inches ; tail, 10.00 ; culmen, 4.00 ; tarsus, 2.35. Hah. Atlantic 

 coast of North America, south, in winter, to the (iulf of Mexico ; Europe. 

 B. Malar region, with whole chin and upper part of throat naked. (Sula.) 



2. S. cyanops. Legs and feet reddish. Adult : White, the greater wing-coverti?, alula?, pri- 



mary coverts, and remiges dark sooty brown ; tail sooty brown, the middle feathers and 

 bases of the others whitish. Young : Head, neck, and ui)per parts dusky ; lower ])arts 

 white, the flanks streaked with grayish ; middle of the back and upper part of the rump 

 streaked with white. Wing, 16.53 inches ; tail, 8.42 ; culmen, .3.96 ; depth of bill through 

 base, 1.44 ; tarsus, 2.02 ; middle toe, 2.88 (average dimensions). Hah. Coasts and islands 

 of the South Pacific and various intertropical seas ; Bahamas and Florida. 



3. S. leucogastra. Feet greenish or yellowish. Adult : Head, neck, breast, and upper parts 



dark sooty I^rown ; the head and neck hoary grayish in older specimens, sometimes nearly 

 white anteriorly ; lower parts posterior to the breast white. Young : Nearly uniform sooty 

 bi'own, lighter beneath. Wing, 15.72 inches ; tail, 8.23 ; culmen, 3.74 ; depth of bill 

 through base, 1.24 ; tarsvis, 1.71 ; middle toe, 2.59 (average measurements). Hab. Coasts 

 of tropical and subtropical America, north to Georgia. 



4. S. piscator. Legs and feet always reddish. Adult : White, the head and neck tinged with 



buff, the shafts of the tail-feathers straw- or cream-colored, and the remiges hoary slate. 

 Young : Above, sooty brown, the remiges and rectrices more hoary ; head, neck, and lower 

 parts light smoky gray. (Colors extremely variable, scarcely two specimens being exactly 

 alike.) Wing, 15.04 inches ; tail, 8.93 ; culmen, 3.26 ; depth of bill through base, 1.07 ; 

 tarsus, 1.34 ; middle toe, 2.25 (average measurements). Hab. Intertroi^ical seas and coasts 

 north to Florida. 



Sula bassana. 



THE COMMON GANNET. 



Pelecanus bassanus, Linn. S. N. L 1758, 133 ; ed. 12, I. 1766, 217. 



Sula bassaiia, Briss. Orn. VI. 1760, 503. — Bonap. Synop. 1828, no. 359 ; Consp. II. 1857, 165.— 



NuTT. Man. II. 1834, 495. — Aud. Orn. Biog. IV. 1838, 222 ; Synop. 1839, 311 ; B. Am. A^I. 



1844, 44, pl. 425. — Lawr. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 871. — Baird, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 



617. — CouES, Key, 1872, 298 ; Check List, 1873, no. 524 ; 2d ed. 1882, no. 746. — Ridgw. Nom. 



N. Am. B. 1881, no. 650. 

 Sula. amcricana, Bonap. Comp. List, 1838, 60. 

 Pelecanus maculatus, Gmel. S. N. I. 1788, 579 (young). 

 Sula alba, Meyer, Taschenb. II. 1810, 582 (adult). 

 Sula major, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. 1831, 812. 



Hab. Coasts of the North Atlantic ; in America, south, in winter, to the Gulf of Mexico. 



Sp. Char. Adult: Prevailing color white, the head and neck, except underneath, more or less 

 deeply buff ; remiges brownish dusky. " Bill pale bluish gray, tinged with green toward the base ; 

 the lines on the upper mandible blackish blue ; the bare space about the eye and that on the throat 

 blackish blue ; iris white ; tarsi, toes, and webs brownish black, the bands of narrov.' scutellae on 

 the tarsus and toes light greenish blue ; claws grayish white " (Audubon).^ Young, first plumage : 

 Head, neck, and upper parts dark grayish brown, relieved by small wedge-shaped white spots on 

 the tips of the feathers, except the remiges and tail-feathers, these markings partaking more of the 

 character of streaks on the head and neck ; lower parts whitish, the feathers edged with grayish, 



1 The following are the fresh colors of a fine adult killed in Chesapeake Bay, and sent in the flesh to 

 the National Museum : Bill pale glaucous gray, with sulcus, edges of mandibles, lores, etc., dull blue- 

 black ; iris pale yellow ; eyelids dull light blue ; feet dull slate, with a sharpl}--defined narrow stripe of 

 apple-green along top of each toe, and following the course of each tendon along the front of the tarsus. 



