REPORT ON THE BIRDS — THE LARIDJ3. 137 



8. Anous stolklus, Linn. 



Sterna stolida, Linn., Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 227, 1766. 



Anous stolklus, Gray, List. Gen. Birds, p. 100, 1841 ; Saunders, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1876, p. 669, 

 et 1877, p. 797. 



[Two specimens. Inaccessible Island, near Tristan da Cunha, October 1G, 1873. 

 Eyes black. Shot sitting on branches of a tree (TJiylica arborea). 



No. 140, $ . Eaine Island, Australia, Feet, bill, and eyes black. 



No. 444, ? . At sea; lat. 1° N, long. 137° 11' E. 



No. 485, ? . Admiralty Islands, March 3-10, 1875. 



No. 564, $ . At sea, near Tahiti, October 1875.] 



In alcohol. Egg, and newly hatched young, St Paul's Rocks, Atlantic, August 28, 

 1873. 



Nine eggs from Raine Island, August 31, 1874. 



This is a very interesting series, showing the changes resulting from age, both in the 

 individual and in the annual plumage. The examination of a great number of Noddies 

 from various localities tends to show that specimens in clean and fresh plumage are very 

 rarely to be met with ; and the weatherworn appearance of some individuals, when com- 

 pared with freshly moulted birds, would lead the superficial observer to suppose that he 

 had before him distinct species. The example, No. 564, is an instance of this, it being a 

 superb old bird, freshly moulted, with all the edges of the feathers perfect, the crown of 

 the head of a pale lavender, and with much smoke-colour on the throat, neck, and breast ; 

 the primaries and tail-feathers like satin, and having in some cases not quite attained 

 their full length ; altogether the finest specimen of the common Noddy I ever saw. Both 

 this and the next species are described in Mr Murray's journal as being very abundant at 

 the Admiralty Islands, hovering in immense numbers over shoals of fish. That the 

 general range of these species is intertropical is tolerably well known ; but it is somewhat 

 surprising to find both this and Anous rnelanogenys at Inaccessible Island, close to Tristan 

 da Cunha, in 37° S. latitude, on the peculiar domain of the Albatross and the Penguin. 

 The two examples of Anous stolidus from there are absolutely identical with specimens 

 from the Tortugas ; and I can find no reason for attributing any of the larger form to 

 other than this species. 



9. Anous rnelanogenys, Gray. 



Anous rnelanogenys, G. R. Gray, Gen. Birds, vol. iii. p. 661, pi. clxxxii., 1842 ; Saunders, Proc. 



Zool. Soc., 1876, p. 670, et 1877, p. 798. 

 Anous tenuirostris, mult, auctorum, nee Temm. 



[In alcohol. Adult, young in down, and egg. St Paul's Rocks, Atlantic Ocean. 

 One specimen. St Paul's Rocks, August 27, 1873. 



(zool. CHALL. EXP. PAET VIII. 1880.) It 18 



