LARIDA: — LESTRIDINZ:: JAGERS. T3T 
all rather narrow and tapering to an acute apex, somewhat rigid and falcate. Secondaries 
short and inconspicuous ; broad, the tips of the outer ones nearly square, of the inner obliquely 
incised, the apex being formed by the inner web alone. Tertials long, soft, flexible. Tail 
moderately long, contained not quite two and a half times in the wing ; very slightly rounded, 
the graduation being only half an inch. Feathers moderately broad quite to their tips, which 
are truncated. The central pair project three to four inches. They begin to taper about four 
inches from their apices, and regularly converge to a very acute tip. Feet rather short and 
quite slender; tarsi as long as the middle toe and claw. Tibia naked half an inch above the 
joint. The scutellation and reticulation is the same as that already described, but the nails are 
weaker and less arched, though fully as acute. A decided occipital crest and a calotte. 
Nuchal region with the feathers acuminate and rigid, with loosened fibrille. Pileum, occipital 
crest, and whole upper parts deep brownish-black, with a somewhat slaty tinge, and a slight 
but appreciable metallic shade; this color deepening into quite black on the wings and tail. 
Rhachides of primaries and rectrices whitish, except at their tips; the inner vanes albescent 
baso-internally. Chin, throat, sides of head, neck all round, and under parts to the vent, pure 
white; the feathers of the latero-nuchal region rigid, acuminate, with disconnected fibrille, 
light yellow. Under tail-coverts like the upper parts, but somewhat of a fuliginous tint; the 
line of demarcation from the white of the abdomen very trenchant. Smaller than No. 765. 
Wing 12.00-13.00; tarsus 1.75-1.87; bill 1.35-1.50; tail 5.00-6.00, the long feathers up to 
9.00. Nearly mature: Pileum and latero-nuchal region, and whole upper parts, as in the 
adult. The under parts white (as in the adult), but clouded everywhere with dusky patches, 
most marked across breast, on sides, flanks, and under tail-coverts, and leaving the middle of 
the belly and throat nearly pure. Varying degrees of this dusky nubilation approach in some 
specimens nearly to the uniform dusky below characterized ; in others fade almost into the pure 
white of the adult, connecting the two states perfectly. The tarsi of the most dusky specimens 
have small yellow blotches; the others not. Dusky stage: Wholly deep dusky ; darker and 
more plumbeous superiorly ; lighter, and with a fuliginous tinge, inferiorly ; the pileum quite 
black; the latero-nuchal region yellow; the remiges and rectrices quite black; feet black. 
Immature: Size and general proportions nearly of the adult. Bill and cere perfectly formed ; 
feet mostly black, but with some yellow blotches. The upper parts unadulterated with any 
rufous bars; the deep brownish-black pileum has appeared, and the sides of the neck have 
obtained their yellow shade, which contrasts conspicuously with the fuliginous back-ground. 
Evidences of immaturity, however, are found on the under parts, where the dark color is mixed 
with the illy-defined transverse bars of ochraceous. Rufous is also found at the bend of the 
wing and on the under wing- and tail-coverts. The primaries are still whitish at the outside, 
as are also the rectrices. The central rectrices project 24 inches, and have the tapering form 
of those of the adults. Younger: Small size, delicate bill and feet, little projection of the 
central rectrices, general mollipilose condition of plumage, ete. The rufous of the very young 
bird, instead of giving way everywhere to dusky, yields to this color only on the upper parts 
and crown ; on the sides of the head, neck, and the whole under parts, whitish being the pre- 
dominating color; the continuity of this last being interrupted by indistinctly marked dusky 
bars. The yellow of the sides of the neck has not yet appeared. There is the same white 
space on the bases of the wings and tail that exists in the very young. The central tail- 
feathers only project about 24 inches. Young-of-the-year in August: Size considerably less 
than that of the adult, form every way more delicate. Wings more than an inch shorter; bill 
and feet much slenderer and weaker. Bill in some specimens light bluish-horn; in others 
greenish-olive, the terminal portion brownish-black. Tarsi and greater part of the toes 
yellow. The bird is everywhere rayed and barred with rufous and brownish-black. On the 
head and neck the rufous has a very light ochraceous tinge, and is the predominating color, 
dark only appearing as a delicate line along the shaft of each feather. Proceeding down the 
47 
