II.— ZOOLOGY. 



Akt. VIII. — On some Birds from the Kermadec Islands. 



By T. F. Cheesemax, F.L.S. 



[Read before the Auckland Institute, 2J:th September, 1888.'] 



In my paper on the flora and fauna of the Kermadec Islands, 

 printed in the recently-issued volume of " Transactions of the 

 New Zealand Institute,"* I have given a list of the birds 

 observed during my short stay in the group. Since then 

 Captain Faircliild has made a second visit to the islands, and 

 has obtained some additional specimens, which he has very 

 kindly placed in my hands. Mr. Bell, the resident on Sunday 

 Island, has also forwarded to the Museum a collection of 

 birds' eggs, accompanied with some interesting particulars 

 respecting several of the sea-birds wliich frequent the island 

 for breeding purposes. From these sources of information 1 

 am now able to record the presence of two species new to the 

 New Zealand fauna, and to prove that a third, hitherto only 

 known as an occasional straggler in our waters, breeds regu- 

 larly in the Kermadec group. 



1. Sula cjjanops, Sundevall (Masked Gannet). 



In my list I briefly alluded to the presence of a fine gannet 

 difi^ering from the species common all round the North Island in 

 wanting the bufi^-coloured feathers on the head. From the deck 

 of the " Stella " it was noticed to be breeding in some numbers 

 on the top of Curtis Island, but, as bad weather compelled 

 Captain Fairchild to put out to sea before an ascent of the 

 cliffs could be made, I was unable to procure a specimen. 

 During his last visit, however, Captain Fairchild was more 

 fortunate. He reached the summit of the island, and, finding 

 the birds breeding there as before, caused four of them to be 

 taken off their nests and carried on board the steamer. 

 Thanks to his care, all four reached Auckland alive. On 

 examining them it was evident that the species was that 

 known as the masked gannet (Sida cyanops), wdiich has a 

 wide range in tropical seas, but had not been previously found 

 on the coast of New Zealand. As mentioned above, it is at 

 once distinguished from our common gannet {Sida serrator) 

 by the head and neck of the adult bird being perfectly white, 



* "Trans. N.Z. lust.," vol. sx., art. xxiii., pp. 1G3-5. 



