398 POMARINE JAGER.
LESTKIS POMARINUS, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. part ii. p. 793.
LESTRIS POMARINA, POMARINE JAGER, Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of Birds of the
United States, p. 364—Swains, and Richards, Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 429.
POMARINE JAGER, Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 315.
Adult Female. Plate CCLIII.
Bill shorter than the head, strong, slightly compressed, straight, the
tip curved. Upper mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, toward
the tip curved, the ridge broad and convex with a slight central depression,
the sides convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip compressed,
rather rounded but sharp. Nasal groove long, narrow, curved ;
nostrils in its fore part, medial, lateral, longitudinal, broad before, extremely
narrow behind, open and pervious. Lower mandible with the
angle long and narrow, a slight prominence at its extremity, beyond
which the dorsal line is slightly concave, the sides erect, and slightly
convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip obliquely truncate.
Head rather large. Neck of moderate length. Body rather full.
Feet of moderate length, rather slender; tibia bare at its lower part, and
rough all round with small convex scales ; tarsus compressed behind, anteriorly
covered with decurved scutella, the sides reticulated, the hind
part rough with small pointed scales ; hind toe extremely small and elevated,
the fore toes of moderate size, connected by reticulated webs, which
have their margins convex; the third toe longest, the fourth nearly as long,
all scutellate above. Claws strong, curved, very acute, compressed, that
of third toe with a sharp inner edge.
The plumage in general is close, elastic, soft and blended; the feathers
on the back and wings rather compact and distinct. Wings very
long, rather broad, pointed; primary quills tapering and rounded, the
first longest, the rest rapidly graduated ; secondary rather short, rounded.
Tail of moderate length, the feathers, which are twelve, are broad and
rounded, the two middle an inch longer than the next.
Bill blackish-brown at the end, dingy yellow towards the base. Iris
brown. Tibia, toes,"webs, and lower half of tarsus black, the upper half
light blue ; claws black. Upper part and sides of the head anteriorly
brownish-black ; upper part of neck all round yellowish-white; the rest
of the neck white, barred with brownish-black, each feather having two
transverse bands of that colour; breast white ; sides, abdomen and lower
tail-coverts white, barred with brownish-black, as are the upper tail-
POMARINE JAGER. 399
coverts. Back and wings brownish-black; primary quills of the same
colour, white on the inner webs towards the base, as are the secondaries
and tail-feathers, lower surface of wings mottled and barred with white
and dusky.
Length to end of tail 20^ inches, to end of wings 20£, to end of claws
] 9£-; extent of wings 48 ; wing from flexure 14; tail 6 / 5 ; bill along the
back along the edge of lower mandible 2^ ; tarsus 2 ^ ; middle toe
its claw Weight!^ lb.