[ 93 ] 
a?re fo broad and flat as fcarce to be di- 
ftinguifhed from fcales ; thofe on the 
ridge of the wings confiding entirely of 
fhaft ;■ the larger- or quill feathers have 
fome very fhort webs. 
Tail. Confifts of thirty brown fefathers, or rather 
thin (hafts, refembling fplit whale-bone, 
flit on their upper fide, concave on cite 
under, and the webs fhort, unconnected, 
briftiy. 
Legs and i From the knees to the end of the claws 
Feet. J fix inches, covered with ftrong pen- 
tangular black fcales ; the fore-toe fcarce 
an inch long, and the others fo re- 
markably fhort, as to evince the ne- 
ceflity of that firength of the tail, which 
feems intended as a fiipport to the bird 
in its ereCt attitude ; in the fame man- 
ner as that of the wood-pecker is when 
it clings to the Tides of tree ? ; between 
the toes is a ftrong femilunar mem- 
brane, continued even up part of the 
claws ; the middle claw is near an inch 
long, and the inner edge very fharp 
and thin ; the interior toe is fmall, and 
placed very high. 
Skin. Extremely tough and thick, which, with 
the clofenefs of the feathers, guards it 
effectually in the element it is fo con- 
verfant in. 
Hiftory. This bird was brought by Capt. Mac- 
Bride, from the Falkland Ifles, off the 
Straits of Magellan ; we believe this 
3 fpecies 
