THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
TliG latter of these names was cited by Ogilvie-Grant as a synonym of 
PhcBthon leptuTus Daudin, but the former was placed under PJicBthon CBthe.reus 
Linn. The quaint part of this latter action is that the plate upon which Brandt’s 
P. catesbyi was founded was quoted as representing the species which Ogilvie- 
Grant had named PJiCBtJion americanus.'^ The locality and description as well 
as the excellent figure given by Catesby show Ogilvie-Grant’ s reference of 
Catesby’s account to the bird he had named PheePkoTn aTtiBricanus to be correct. 
But the necessary sequence of this conclusion is the acceptance of Brandt’s 
name and the rejection of Ogilvie-Grant’s. That is, the name of the Bermuda 
breeding Tropic Bird is PhcBthon cateshyi Brandt, and Pheethon americanus 
Ogilvie-Grant becomes an absolute synon}^!. As the type locality of Brandt’s 
species I fix Bermuda, the locality whence Catesby himself procured specimens. 
The name Phmthon edwardsii was given to Edwards’ account and plate and 
no locality is mentioned. As the most probable localities for Edwards’ bird 
are the West Indies or Mauritius, the most reasonable method seems to be the 
arbitrary selection of the latter and Phc&tJion edwardsii will become an absolute 
synonym of P. Upturns Daudin. 
The species and forms, then, of the genus Leptopheethon would read : 
LEPTOPH.a:THO]sr FULvus (Brandt). 
Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). 
As a synonym, Lawrence’s P. fiavo-aurantius may be noted as commonly 
recognised. 
Leptoph.®thon catesbyi (Brandt). 
Bermuda (breeding) ; West Indies. 
This name will replace PhcBthon americanus Ogilvie-Grant. Ogilvie- 
Grant’s name was utilised by the American Ornithologists in their Checklist, 
3rd ed., p. 59, 1910, because they had accepted Bonaparte’s reference of 
P. catesbyi to the synon 5 my of P. cethereus Linne, though they should have 
known that only one species of Tropic Bird bred on the Bermudas, and that 
was not P. cethereus. Had they referred to Catesby’s work, the figure was 
quite sufficient to negative the association of Brandt’s name with P. cethereus 
Linne. Catesby described the bill as “ red ” ; this species is known as the 
Yellow-billed Tropic Bird. Recently Karl Platt in the Ibis 1914, p. 554, has 
confirmed Catesby’s observation made one hundred and seventy years ago, 
noting that the birds have red bills when alive. I suggest the replacing of the 
misleading vernacular by the name Catesby’s Phaethon or Tropic Bird. 
This bird is only separable by its slightly large size and the variation in 
the black markings of the primaries. In most genera such trifling differences 
* of. Mathews, Auk 1915, p. 195. 
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