680 



U. S. p. K. B. EXP. AND SDRVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



Bill very short and stout ; not longer than the head. Culmen gently curved from the hase ; 

 most so towards the tip ; lower outline of hill straight to the culmen, then ascending in a gentle 

 convexity, a little straighter than the culmen, but the two mandibles tapering about equally. 

 Legs rather long ; , the tarsus one and a quarter time the length of middle toe, covered with 

 hexagonal scutellae, which in front and above are larger, and cover the anterior face. The 

 tibia are bare for about one-third their length. The outet toe is rather longest ; the claws all 

 short, small, and much curved. The occipital feathers are elongated, and there are two linear 

 lanceolate ones about as long as the head and body, but these are not rolled together. The hack 

 of the neck is thinly covered with normal feathers. The interscapular feathers are rather 

 elongated and lanceolate ; the scapulars are much developed, linear, lanceolate ; the tips 

 rounded, and reaching to the end of the tail ; the pennules decomposed for the terminal half. 

 The tail is composed of twelve broad, rather stiff feathers. 



The external form of this species is a good deal like that of Nyctiardea gardeni. The bill, 

 however, is much thicker and shorter ; the commissure is straight, instead of concave with the 

 end of upper mandible attenuated ; the gonys is ascending and convex, instead of horizontal 

 and slightly concave ; the tips of both mandibles nearly equally pointed and tapering. The 

 tarsi are much longer and the toes shorter, so that the former are much longer than the middle 

 toe, instead of shorter ; the claws are much smaller and more curved ; the tibia bare for a 

 greater distance ; the reticulation of the lower part of the tarsus is more hexagonal and smaller. 

 The scapular feathers are much more elongated. 



,. The prevailing color of this species is a grayish plumbeous. The head all round is bluish 

 black ; the top of the head from the bill, including the longest occipital feathers, and a broad 

 isolated patch from beneath the middle of the eye, yellowish white. The feathers of the inter- 

 scapular region coverts and scapulars are dusky, edged with grayish plumbeous ; the quills and 

 tail plumbeous dusky. The body generally and neck are uniform grayish plumbeous, lighter 

 below. The bill is black ; the legs yellow above, the lower portion black. 



The young are dark greenish olivaceous above, the feathers streaked centrally, and spotted 

 terminally with brownish yellow. The under parts are whitish, streaked with brown. The 

 feathers of the head have the shafts extended into a whitish thread. The whitish of the neck 

 is strongly tinged with brownish yellow. 



The young bird is readily distinguished from that of Nyctiardea gardeni by the dark greenish 

 olive hack, with numerous spots ; plumbeous, not chocolate colored, quills ; better defined streaks 

 below, and, above all, by the generic differences in the bill and feet. 



List of specimens. 



