^'ESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 853 



is a c'lu'ious incidt'ut of all tliesc birds liaviag suddenly left R;it Island 

 for about a fortnight diu-ing the month of October, when a cold rain 

 set iu, leaving eggs and young to perish. Upon slight showei-s of rain 

 falling, the birds fly out to tlie shoals upon the reefs and skim over the 

 water in a remarkable manner, as if fishing. The call-uote of the 

 Noddy is a coai-se gull-like bark. Young in down vaiy in colour from 

 light to dark sooty-brown, with the upper portion of the head mouldy- 

 wliite. Bill and feet black. 



I can vouch for the following accoimt by Gilbert : " The Noddy and 

 an allied species (the Lesser Noddy), ai-e extx'emely numerous on the 

 Houtmau's Abrollios, where they breed in prodigious numbers. 

 The present species lays its eggs in November and December, 

 on a nest constiiicted of sea^weed, about six inches in diameter, 

 and vaiying in height from foiu- to eight inches, but without 

 anything like regularity of fonn ; the top is nearly flat, there 

 being but a very slight liollow to prevent their single egg from 

 rolling off. The nests are so completely plastered vntli the 

 excrement of the bird, that at first sight they appear to be entirely 

 fonned of that material ; they ai-e either placed on the groiuid in a clear 

 open space, or on the tops of the thick scrub, over those of the Sterna 

 fiili(jiiio>(i, the two species incubating together with the most perfect 

 hannouy, and the bushes presenting a mottled appearance from the 

 great number of both species perched on the top — the male ( S. fuliyi- 

 iiosa) sitting quite close to the nest of the Noddy, while its mate is 

 beneath, performing the duties of incubation. On walking among the 

 nests, I was sui-prised to observe the pertinacity with which the birds 

 kept their post; in fact they would not remove from off the egg or the 

 young, but would suffer themselves to be trodden upon or taken off with 

 the hand ; and so thickly were the nests placed, that it was no easy matter 

 to avoid crushing either eggs or bkds at every step. By the middle of 

 Januaiy the eggs were nearly ready to hatch, and there would be an 

 overwhelming increase of this species yearly but for the check which 

 nature has provided against it in the presence of a small lizard, which 

 is very abimdant about their breedmg places, and which finds an easy prey 

 in the young of this Noddy and of Stcriiii fii/lgiiiosn. I am satis- 

 fied that not more than one out of every twenty birds hatched ever reaches 

 matimty, or lives long enough to take wing ; besides which, gieat 

 numbers of the old birds are constantly killed. These lizards do not 

 eat the whole bird, but merely extract the brain and vertebral mari'ow ; 

 the remainder is, however, soon cleared off by the Dermestcx lardariu^, 

 an insect which occuk in amazing numbers, and gave me a great dial of 

 uneasiness and constant trouble to presei-ve my collection fiom their 

 repeated attacks. I did not observe the Noddy on any but the South 

 Island. As it finds an abundant supply of food, consisting of small fish, 

 small mollusca, medusae, cuttle-fish, (fee, immediately outside the outer 

 reef, it has no occasion to go far out to sea.. I never obsei-ved it feeding 

 in the smooth; quiet water between the outer reef and the islands." 



" The Large Noddy," says Macgillivi-ay, " is abundantly distributed 

 over ToiTes Strait ; but I never met with it to the southward of Raines 

 Islet, on which, as at Bramble Quay, it was found breeding in prodigious 



