342 



" At the time of my \'isit 1 had the pleasure of observinj^ a great number of these birds 

 engaged in relining some of the old nests and constructing a few new ones. For this purpose 

 they gathered a long-bladed green seaweed that was {,'fowing plentifully in the shallow lagoons 

 in close proximity. They either sat on the water and pulled it, or in their llight swooped down 

 and picked up the lloating blades some other birds had detached. These long pieces are hung 

 fri[i,L;e-like over the nest, whilst the centre is lined with shorter and finer material. In common 

 with the greater number of seabirds this Tern hatches only a simple e^;g at a time, but it probably 



breeds three times in a season, 

 because young able to fly, small 

 young, eggs about to hatch, and 

 fresh eggs were present, and as 

 stated building was pursued. 

 The bird pluckily pecks at one's 

 hand with its thin beak when 

 being approached, and energeti- 

 cally resents being removed from 

 its nest." 



I'Tom Perth, Western Aus- 

 tralia, Mr. C. G. Gibson wrote: — 

 1 am forwarding you a photo- 

 graph of the Lesser Noddy 

 ( Micrauous tcuitirostris) nesting. 

 C*.'**^ :^ i.- ' ''^ ■*'y ar/ - "^t^^TL "■. ' T Itwastaken on the i2thNovem- 



ber, igoy, by IMr. C. P. Coni- 

 grave, on Wooded Island, during 

 our trip to Houtman Abrolhos, 

 where these birds were breeding 

 in extraordinary numbers in the 

 [nangrove thickets, each nest 

 containing a single egg or young 

 one, most of the eggs lieing 

 heavily incubated." 



The accoiiipanying figure is 

 reproduced from this photograph. 

 The en'^s of the Lesser Noddy, 

 only one of which is laid for a 

 sitting, are indistinguishable 

 from those of its close ally Micra- 

 uoiis Ituci'iapillus, and like those 

 of that species are extremely 

 variable in colour, form, size and 

 disposition of markings. Typi- 

 cally they are oval or elongate-o\al in form, the shell being comparatively close-grained, dull 

 and lustreless. Usually they are a of faint reddish or buffy-white, or a very light creamy-buff 

 ground colour, over which is distributed irregular-shaped spots and blotches of teddish-brown, 

 reddish-umber, or purplish-re.d, with which are interminf^led fainter underlying' markings of 

 pale purplish, bluish or inky-^rey. On some the markings are fairly evenly distributed over 

 the surface of the shell, in others they consist only of a few large blotches, generally on the 

 largef end, the remainder of the surface being sparingly lilotched. Occasionally specimens are 

 found with a zone of fine, short, interlaced, wavy lines of purplish-red or rich umber-brown, 



LESSER NODDIES NE.STIN'i: OX VVOODKD ISLAN'l), HOl'TMAN AliliOLIlOS 



