140 LARID^. 



Young. Browner generally and paler; the forehead and crown 

 greyish brown ; below the forehead a narrow white superciliary line 

 conspicuous by contrast against the blackish lores. 



Fledrfling (Ascension I.). Umber-brown above and below ; the 

 whitish streak above the lores very marked, and continuous round 

 the base of the bill ; a slight greyish tint on the forehead. 



Downy nestling. One about 5 days old (British Honduras : May 

 12th, 1862) has the forehead and crown dull white, lores blackish, 

 upper surface mouse-brown, nape and throat darkest, lower parts 

 paler. Another, only just hatched, is nearly uniform sooty brown. 



Taking the extreme of variation in this species, the Noddies 

 from Central America appear to be the smallest and brownest, 

 while the Polynesian examples are the largest and greyest ; but 

 between these there is every gradation in size and colour. It must 

 also be remarked that the feathers of the mantle rapidly become 

 browner under atmospheric influences, and that the lead-grey tints 

 of the shoulders are only to be found in very mature birds ; in fact 

 many brownish examples which appear to be adults from the 

 plumage of the head, will be found exhibiting the dark bar on the 

 upper wing-coverts, indicative of immaturity. 



Hah. Tropical and juxta-tropical America : chiefly on the Atlantic 

 side, but also on the Pacific in Mexico and the Central region ; Atlantic 

 down to Tristan da Cunha (breeding) ; intertropical African and 

 Asian Seas, up to Yeddo ; Australasia down to about 35^ S. ; 

 Islands of the Pacific up to Laysan, &c., and as far as Sala y 

 Gomez, 105° W. ; also Chatham I., Galapagos {fide llidgway), but not 

 on the coasts of Peru or Chile. Breeding, as a rule, where found. 

 Once obtained off the S. coast of Ireland. 



rt. Ad. St. North America. II.R.H.Dukeof SuffoUc 



fp.]. 



b. Ad. st. North America. J. J. Audubon [C.]. 



c. Ad. sk. Florida (H. W. Hetishmc). Salvin-Godman Coll. 



d. Juv. sk. East coast of Mexico {A. C. Barclay, Esq. [P.]. 



superciliosus, Sharps). 



e. Juv. sk. Jamaica. Purchased. 



/. Juv. sk. Nevis, Lesser Antilles. W. Cottle, Esq. [P.]. 



g. 9 <id. ; /(. c!' St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles, Salviu-Godman Coll. 



imm. sk. July and Oct. (Z>. W. 



Smith). 

 i. Juv. sk. Grenada, Lesser Antilles, Salvin-Godman Coll. 



Sept. 22 (D. W. Smith), 

 k. 1mm. sk. Redouda L, Lesser Antilles Salvin-Godman Coll. 



(Spence). 

 l-q. c? 2 ad. ; r. Glover's Reef, Brit. Hon- Salvin-Godman Coll. 

 Pull. sk. duras, May 12th, 1862 



(O. Salvin). 

 s. $ pull. sk. Cay Dolores Channel, Brit. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



Honduras, May 17th 

 (O. S.). 

 t. Ad. .sk. St. Paul's Rocks, INIid- .\ntarctic Expedition. 



. Atlantic. 



