NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 153 



on or about the 28th of last month ; was taken when in 

 company with four or five others, the rest escaping. It 

 appeared to be a young bird. Its plumage, as far as I 

 remember, agreed with Wilson's description. The bill, 

 upper part of the head, back, wings and tail, were black. 

 Throat and breast, white (I think). Feet and legs, black. 

 Was not surely a crafty bird, as it ran for concealment or 

 protection under a stone which afforded none, and was 

 easily taken. 



" I only regret that in consequence of the omnivorous 

 propensity of my grunter, I am deprived of the pleasure of 

 asking your acceptance of the specimen." 



February \%th. — Compared the Tobago Phaeton, which 

 was presented to Mr. Wedderburn by Sir William Jardine, 

 with a specimen of the Bermuda Phaeton. The former is 

 considered by Sir William to be a new species, and in a work 

 recently published on Tropic Birds alone, is described as 

 the Phaeton Athereus; our Phaeton being termed P.flavi- 

 rostris. In one respect the birds differ very materially, viz., 

 in the markings of the plumage ; the Tobago specimen 

 having the upper parts of a white ground, each feather 

 being transversely barred with several black lines in the 

 form of a bracket, giving to that part of the plumage a 

 striped or zebra-like appearance. On the larger feathers 

 this marking is more broadly developed ; the scapulars, 

 axillaries and oral parts were chiefly composed of very 

 dark feathers, more or less mottled with white. The bill, 

 orange red ; under parts of plumage, white ; the feet want- 

 ing. In the size of the two specimens I could observe no 

 distinction ; the primaries of each were duplicates of one 

 another, and in every respect the identity of the species 

 appeared to me beyond the possibility of doubt. I must, 



