168 
AMERICAN LOBEFOOT. 
clear pale ash-colour : from near the junction of the 
mandibles a narrow line on each side of the head 
passes through the eyes to the side of the neck, 
where it widens considerably, and is continued in a 
broad patch to the back ; this mark is at first black, 
but after it has passed the eye about half an inch, it 
gradually becomes a very deep chesnut : the chin and 
sides of the head between the above line are white : 
the neck is dingy white, slightly tinged with chesnut, 
darker near to the edges of the above patch : the 
belly and all the under parts are white : at the back 
of the neck is a white line between the two dark 
markings described above : the back and scapulars 
are dark ash-colour, in which some few chesnut 
feathers are mixed ; these are so disposed as to have 
the appearance of an irregular continuation of the 
dark chesnut patches on the sides of the neck : the 
whole of the wing-feathers and upper coverts are 
dark ash- colour ; the largest coverts and secondaries 
very slightly edged with white : under-coverts of the 
wings white : the two middle tail-feathers ash-colour ; 
the others the same on their outer web, having the 
inner mottled with ash-colour and white : upper tail- 
coverts ash-colour ; under tail-coverts white : the legs 
are black, naked near an inch above the knee : the 
tarsi are an inch and a quarter long, sharp, with a 
membrane before and at the back : the three fore 
toes lobed, with small curved black claws j the centre 
toe the longest, and united at the base for a short 
distance to the outer ; hind toe three eighths of an 
inch long, and membranous." 
