NESTS AA'D EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 857 



Nest. — Constnicted of fresh gathered seaweeds, and placed finnly on 

 scrub near the sea shore, or upon branches of trees more inland. Nests 

 in colonies. On Norfolk Island sometimes six or more may be foimd 

 on one bough, invariably of a white oak ( JjKjuiKirid jiafersuinj. 



Egg"- — Clutch, one; roundish oval in shape, or clliptically inclined; 

 textui'e of shell .somewhat coarse : surface without gloss ; coloiu", 

 soft or wai'm-white, sparingly blotched with rufous or nisty-brown and 

 dull pui-pli.sh-grey. the markings being generally confined to the larger 

 end. Inside lining of the shell, light yellowish-green. Dimensions in 

 inches: (1) 1-83 x 1-28, (2) 1-78 x 1-34; an average of six: 1-8 x 1-29. 



Ohstrftifimiii. — There has been a little conflLsion about the beautiful 

 and exceedingly tame Wliite-capped Noddy, which enjoys an extensive 

 r'ange. It has been chieflj- observed on the northern and eastern coasts 

 of Australia, breeding on Norfolk and Phillip Island, and is closely allied 

 to M. teiitiirustris of Western Australia. Gray s A. iiw/uiKigeiii/s is now 

 deemed to be identical with Goidd's original A. hucoc(rpiIh:.i. 



I am indebted to Mr. F. M. Nobbs, of Norfolk Island, for a fine series 

 of eggs of the White-capped Noddy, collected 7th December, 1886, which 

 were accompanied with the following data : — " Smaller Noddy Tern. 

 One egg. On ti'ees, some large and half a mile inland; others dwarf 

 and close to the sea. Nest of seaweed very funnly scciu'ed on branches. 

 In colonies.' 



Breeding months include October, November and December. 



The second species of Noddy that Prof. Moseley observed breeding 

 on St. Paul's Rocks, in mid- Atlantic, during the visit of the " Challenger," 

 August, 1873, was probably referable to this species. Prof. Moseley 

 wi-ites : "The Noddies' nests are made of grg'en seaweed (C'auhrija 

 claviftra), which grows on the bottom in the bay, and around the rocks, 

 and which, getting loosened by the surf, floats, and is picked up by the 

 birds on the surface. The weed is cemented together by the birds' dung, 

 and the nests, having been used for ages, are now solid masses, with a 

 circidai- platform at the siminiit, beneath which hangs down a niunber 

 of tails of di-ied seaweed. The older nests project from the cliffs on 

 the sheltered side of the rocks, like brackets." 



A figure of one of these remarkable brackets is given on page 60 of 

 '' A Naturalist on the ' Challenger.' '' 



655. — Gygis CANDIDA, Gmeliu. — (609) 

 WHITE TERN. 



l-igi(re. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fo!., vol. vii., pi. 30. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxv., p. 149. 



Pre-!'ioui Dcscriltiom of Eggs. — Sharpe : Trans. Roy. See, vol. 



clxviii.. p. .;6s (1878) ; Crowfoot (Metcalfe) : Ibis, p. 266 (1885) ; 



Campbell : Victorian Naturalist (1888) ; North : Austn. Mus. 



Cat., app., pi. 21, fig. 4 (1890). 



Geii(jr(ip]ii<:al Di-<tr>hutioii. — Seas of North-west Australia (probably), 

 Northern TerritoiT, Queensland, and New South Wales; also Central 



