CURLED-CRESTED PHALERIS. 
137 
Adult, 10, wing, 61. 
North-west coast of America. 
Bill shorter than the head, stout, straightish, broad at the base, com- 
pressed toward the end. Upper mandible with a prominent basal rim as 
in the Puffins, its dorsal outline convex and declinate, the sides sloping, a 
prominent line descending from the base of the ridge to the anterior part 
of the nostril, which is linear-oblong, and near the margin, besides which 
there are several faint grooves ; at the base is a somewhat triangular horny 
plate detached from the rest of the mandible, of which latter the margin is 
very convex behind the nostrils, then ascends, forms a slight festoon before 
them, and finally a deep sinus behind the decurved, narrow, but rather obtuse 
tip. Lower mandible with the angle rather long and wide, the dorsal line 
ascending and a little convex, the sides sloping outwards, a ridge passing 
obliquely from behind the angle to near the tip, the edge sinuate in cor- 
respondence with that of the upper, the tip truncate. 
Body full and compact ; neck short and thick ; head rather large, ovate. 
Feet short, placed far behind ; tibia bare for a quarter of an inch ; tarsus 
very short, much compressed, anteribrly with small oblique. scutella, the rest 
reticulate ; hind toe wanting ; anterior toes scutellate, connected by emargi- 
nate webs ; the inner toe much shorter than the outer, Which is of the same 
length as the middle, claws rather stout, moderately arched, compressed, 
rather obtuse ; on the anterior part of the forehead is a tuft of about twenty 
linear recurved feathers, of which the longest measures 2h inches. 
Plumage dense, blended, glossy. Wings of moderate length, narrow, 
pointed ; primaries incurved, tapering, the first longest, the rest rapidly 
graduated ; secondaries rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of fourteen 
rounded feathers. 
Bill orange ; feet greyish-blue. The general colour of the upper parts is 
browniskblack, of the lower deep purplish-grey. There is a short line of 
elongated linear acuminate white feathers, commencing under the eye, and 
proceeding along the side of the neck. 
Length to end of tail 10 inches ; bill along the ridge fj, along the edge of 
lower mandible 1 ; wing from flexure 6 X 9 ^ ; tail 1 ^ ; tarsus l r V; inner toe 
H> its claw T 3 ^ ; middle toe l T Sf, its claw r V ; outer toe l/j, its claw 
Vol. VIII.— 18 
