854 ^^^STS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



numbers. Unlike its constant associate, the Sooty Tern, it constructs 

 a shallow nest of small twigs, arranged in a slovenly manner, over wnich 

 ai-e strewed about a handlul of fragments of coral from the beach, sheUs, 

 and occasionally portions of tortoise-shell and bones of tm-tle. The 

 nest is sometimes placed upon the gi-oimd, but more usually upon tufts 

 of grass and other herbage at about a foot from the gi-ound.'' 



i'he Common Noddies breed on Phillip and Nepean islets, adjacent to 

 Norfollt Iskud. Mr. G. K. Beddoes, who visited Ashmore Shoals, about 

 ninety miles from Timor, reported to me that Tenis, especially Noddies, 

 were exceedingly plentiful there. 



At the risk of being tedious I mention the Noddies at home in an 

 extra^Australian locality. Here is a pictui-e by Audubon. " The 

 Noddies," says the great ornitliologist, " fonn regular nests of twigs and 

 dxy gi^ass, wliich they place on the bushes or low trees, but never on the 

 ground. On visiting their island on the 11th of May, 1832, I was sur- 

 prised to see that many of them were repairing and augmenting nests 

 that had remained throughout the winter, while others were employed 

 in constinicting new ones, and some were ah'eady sitting on their eggs. 

 In a gi-eat many instances the repaired nests formed masses ne;u-ly two 

 feet m height, and yet all of them had only a shght hollow for the egg, 

 broken shells of which were foiuid among the entire ones, as if they had 

 beer pui-posely placed there. The birds did not discontinue^ their labours, 

 althovigh there were nine or ten of us walking among the bvishes, and 

 when we had gone a few yards into the thicket, thousands of them flew 

 quite low over us, some at times coming so close as to enable us to catch 

 a few of them with the hand. On one side might be seen a Noddy 

 canying a stick in its bill, or picking up something to add to its nest ; 

 on the other several were seen sitting on their eggs imconscious of danger, 

 while their mates brought them food. The greater part rose on the 

 wing as we advanced, but re-alighted as soon as we had passed. The 

 bushes were rarely taller than ourselves, so that we could easily see 



the eggs in the nests The Noddy lays three eggs, 



which average 2 inches in length by lij inches in breadth, and ai-e of a 

 reddish-yellow coloiu-, spotted and patched with dull-red and faiiit-pui-ple. 

 They afford excellent eating, and our sailors seldom failed to collect 

 bucketfuls of them daily during oiu- stay at the Tortugas." 



653. — MicRANous TENUiROSTRis, Temiuinck, — (614) 

 Aiiiiux me/anojix, Gould. 



LESSER NODDY. 



I-igiire.— Gould : Birds of .\ustralia, fol., vol. vil., pi. 35. 

 Reference.— Cai. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxv., p. 144. 

 Previous Descriptions of Eggs.—V,o\x\A: Birds of .\iistralia (1S4SI; 

 also Handbook, vol. ii., p. 419 (1865). 



Geogrdiiliiritl Distriljiition.^'itiiis in general of Australia, except 

 perhaps Victoria ; also New Guinea, across tlie Indian Ocean to Mas- 

 carene Islands, Madagascar and the Seychelles. 



