306 BULLETIN 113, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



center of the basin, and thereon hiys her egg. Occasionally snch a nest is also 

 encircled with a few twigs ; sometimes it consists of over 50 pieces of shell, 

 but more frequently the shells and twigs are so scant that the egg lies upon the 

 bare rock. The nests built in the crevices of the cliff, however, consist chiefly 

 of twigs, though even these are frequently capped by a few bits of shell, upon 

 which the egg immediately lies. The noddies are often thievish when buikling 

 their nests; where two pair are thus engaged in close proximity, the one will 

 often repeatedly carry off to their own nest from that of the other in their 

 absence. 



Eggs. — Although the noddy has been said to lay from two to three 

 eggs in a set, such cases must be decidedly exceptional, for one egg 

 only seems to be the almost invariable rule. If the egg is taken or 

 destroyed it will soon be replaced b}^ another, but evidently only one 

 young bird is reared in a season by each pair of birds. The egg is 

 ovate or slightly elliptical ovate in shape. The shell is thin, smooth, 

 and without luster. The ground color varies but slightly, from 

 •' pale-pinkish buff " to " cartridge buff." It is sparingly spotted 

 with small spots or dots, usually more thickly at the larger end, with 

 at least two distinct colors. The underlying spots are of various pale 

 shades of lilac or lavender and the overlying, more conspicuous, spots 

 are of bright shades of deep reddish brown. Some of the brown 

 spots seem to be superimposed over the lilac spots or blended with 

 them. The eggs can be readily distinguished from those of the 

 sooty tern by being much less heavily spotted. The measurements of 

 44 eggs, in the United States National Museum, average 52 by 35 milli- 

 meters ; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 58 by 37, 54 by 

 37.5, 49.5 by 35.5 and 51 by 33 millimeters. 



Young. — According to Professor Watson (1908) : 



The young noddies began to appear on the island about June 9. The first 

 few hours after birth they are extremely helpless. During the first day of 

 their life they exhibit few signs of fear, making little effort to shrink away 

 from the hand. * * * At the end of the first day the birds were able to 

 stand fairly erect and to move their heads with some freedom. * * * They 

 can not swim at The end of the first day. * * * tj^^ j^^j^.^ ^f u^g young 

 noddy is very different from the hoarse, rattling sound of the adult. It is a 

 soft, liquid, slow, plaintive "querk-querk-querk." * * * it is absolutely im 

 perative for them to have the free use of the head and eyes and to be able to 

 stand erect and to peck during the first day. The feeding parent on returning 

 alights near the young bird, puts down its beak, and successively touches and 

 taps the beak of the young bird ; then its part of the reaction is at an end, pro- 

 vided by successive disgorgements it keeps its beak and throat filled with small 

 minnows. The young bird must stand up and strike the beak of the parent 

 until the parent opens its beak sufficiently wide to admit the beak of the young 

 bird. When the fish in the mouth of the parent come in contact with the 

 buccal cavity of the young, the swallowing reflex follows perfectly. 



He reared three young noddies, feeding them by hand, until they 

 were 30 days old, and his detailed notes are well worth reading. On 

 the fourth day they began to learn to swim ; after the eleventh day 



