PROCELLABIIDiB DAPTION 485 



Genus VII. DAPTION. 



Type. 

 Daption, Steph. in Shaw's Oen. Zool. xiii, p. 239 (182.5). ..D. capensis. 



Bill rather short and weak, less than the length of the head ; 

 unguis less than half the bill, palate with a few lamellae along the 

 sides ; nasal tube short, about one third of the length of the eulmen 

 with a single anteriorly directed opening, which, however, is divided 

 within ; space between the rami of the lower mandible bare ; wings 

 well developed, the first primary the longest ; tail evenly rounded, 

 of fourteen feathers ; tarsus slender, covered with hexagonal scales, 

 shorter than the middle toe ; claw of hind toe small. 



The well known Cape Pigeon is the only species of this genus ; 

 it is found throughout the Southern Ocean. 



796. Daption oapensis. Cape Pigeon. 



Procellaria capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 213 (1766) ; Grill, K. Vet. 



Akad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. S8 (1858); Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 361 



(1867) ; Sperling, Ibis, 1872, p. 76. 

 Daption oapensis, Oould, B. Atistr. vii, pi. 53 (1847) ; Layard, Ibis, 



1862, p. 97 ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 353 (1872) ; 



Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr. p. 767 (1884) ; Swinburne, Proc. 



B. Phys. 8oc. Edin. ix, p. 198 (1886) ; &reen. Ocean Birds, p. 32 



(1887) ; 8alvin, Cat. B. M. xxv, p. 428 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, 



p. 168 (1896) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 28 (1900); CMm, Aus der 



Tiefen Weltm. p. 135, with figure (1900). 



Description. Adult. — Forehead, crown and sides of the face and 

 neck slaty-black, rest of upper surface white, each feather tipped 

 with slaty ; primaries slaty, white on the concealed bases of both 

 webs, except the first, which is only white on the inner web, 

 lesser coverts slaty, others white edged with slate ; tail white, 

 broadly tipped with dusky black ; below white, a few of the feathers 

 on the chin and of the under tail-coverts tipped with slaty ; inner 

 under wing-coverts white, those towards the edge of the wing 

 slaty ; axillaries white, tipped with slate. 



Iris dark brown ; bill black, legs brownish black. 



Length (in flesh) 14-0; wing 10'5 ; tail 4'0 ; eulmen 1-3 ; tarsus 

 1-8 ; middle toe 1-95. 



The nesthngs in down are greyish above and greyish white below 

 and have a black bill, according to Hall. 



