COMMON TROPIC-BIRD. 12<5 



common with the rest of the Pelecanidre, they perch 

 upon trees : their food consists of fishes, upon which 

 they pounce after the manner of the birds of the pre- 

 ceding genus. The structure of their beak is not 

 much unlike that of some of the Gulls, and that forms 

 a beautiful connecting link with those birds, as does 

 also their thick and downy plumage : their feet are 

 more webbed than those of the Frigate-birds ; and 

 the tail is adorned with two extremely long central 

 feathers. 



COMMON TROPIC-BIRD. 



(Phaeton sethereus.) 



Ph. albas, dorso uropygio tectr/cibusque alarum minoribus nigro 



striatis, rectricum scapis basi fasciaque supra oculari nigris, 



rostro rubro. 

 White Tropic-bird, with the hack, rump, and lesser wing-coverts 



striped with black, the shafts at the base of the tail-feathers 



and fascia above the eyes black, the beak red. 

 Phaeton aethereus. Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. 219. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 



1. 581. Lath. Lid. Orn. 2. S93. Leach, Zool. Misc. 2. 



140. 

 Lepturus. Briss. Orn. 6. 4S0.pl. 42. /. 1. 

 Avis Tropicorum. Raii Syn. 1 23. 

 Grand Paille-en-queue. Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. 8. 348. pi. 28. 



Buff. PL Enl. 998. 

 Tropic-bird. Willou. Orn. 331. pi. 75. Lath. Gen. Syn. 6. 615. 



Lath. Gen. Hist. x. 443. 

 Variety. — Lepturus candidus. Briss. Orn. 6. 485. pi. 42. f. 2. 

 Paille-en-queue de l'isle de l'Ascension. Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. 8. 



355. Buff. PI. Enl. 369. 

 Tropic-bird. Ediv. Glean.pl. 149./. 2. 



