Genus PHCENICOPTEETJS. 



Bill deep at the base, straight and somewhat cylindrical for half its length, with the culraen 

 slightly keeled, then suddenly bent down and horizontally compressed ; the culmen flattened ; 

 commissure ascending from the gape to the point of depression of the culmen, then angulated 

 and running parallel to the latter ; nostrils linear, advanced, placed near the commissure ; 

 margins of both mandibles furnished with fine lamellae. Wings pointed, the 1st quill the 

 longest. Tail short. Legs very long ; the tarsus scutellate in front. Feet webbed, the exterior 

 edge emarginate ; hind toe small. 



PHCENICOPTERUS KOSEUS. 



(THE COMMON FLAMINGO.) 



Phcenicopterus roseus, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso-As. ii. p. 207 (1811) ; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. 



p. 299 (1849) ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1854, xiv. p. 2GS ; Jerdon, B. of Ind. 



iii. p. 775 (1864) ; Dresser, B. of Eur. pt. 75, 7G (1879) 

 Phcenicojrterus ruber, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 159. 

 Phcenicopterus antiquorum, Temm. Man. d'Om. ii. p. 587 (1820); Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, 



p. 479 ; Heuglin, Orn. N.Ost-Afr. ii. p. 1203 (1873) ; Hume, Str. Feath. 1879, p. 114 



(List Ind. B.). 

 Flammant, Buffbn, PI. Enl. 63. Nihaf, Arabic ; Bag hans, lit. " Heron Goose," also Bay 



hans, Hind. ; Krop-gaiis, Dutch in Ceylon ; Kan-thunti, Bengal. ; Pu-konga, Telugu ; 



Pu-nari, Tamil ; Inglis Kol'u, lit. " English Heron," from a fancied resemblance to 



soldiers ; Urian, Jaffna Tamils. 



Adult vniJe'! (Ceylon, Poole collection). Wing 10-0 inches; bill along culmen 5-8. — Adults (Brit. Mus.). Wing 

 16-5 to 17 - 5 ; tail 6-0 ; bare tibia 9-0; tarsus 13-2 ; middle toe with claw 3 - 7 ; bill along culmen 5-7, depth at 

 centre l - 5. — Male (SambburLake). Length 50*0; wing 17-5; tail 6 - ; tarsus 14-9 ; bill along culmen 6-4. Female. 

 Length 40-2; wing 15-0; tail 5*1; tarsus 10'4 ; bill along curve 5-6 (Adams). — Male (South Africa). "Wing 

 16-08; tail 6-25; bare tibia 7-06; tarsus 11-5; bill at front 5-08. Female (Tripoli). Wing 14-03 ; tail 5-25; 

 bare tibia 7 - 75 ; tarsus 10-5; bill at front 4 - 75 (Von Heuglin). The female of this species is smaller than 

 the male. 



Iris pale yellow ; bill rosy red, terminal half black; loral skin whitish pink ; legs and feet pinkish red, claws black. 



Living example (Zoological Gardens). Plumage white, tinged with rosy, particularly on the neck, the region round 

 the eye being brighter than elsewhere ; the interscapulars tinged with cerise, the tertials pale scarlet at the tips ; 

 the bastard wing and primary-coverts light scarlet, passing into rosy white on the inner webs ; primaries and 

 secondaries black ; scapulars lanceolate in shape and with dark shafts ; under wing at the edge scarlet ; axillaries 

 bright scarlet ; median under secondary- and under primary-coverts black. 



Foumg in down. " Covered with close down, in texture like that on a young Swan ; entire plumage white, the upper 

 parts slightly tinged with dusty grey." (Dresse?:) 



Nestling just fledged. Wing 13"5 inches ; tarsus 6 - 5. 



Head, neck, and under surface white, faintly tinged with rosy ; back and wing-coverts reddish sandy, with dark shaft- 

 stripes ; the greater wing-coverts terminally brown, with pale margins ; primary-coverts sandy, with sharply 

 defined black tips ; quills black. 



