Birds' Skins and Eggs from Ascension Island. 281 



December; and most of tliem show signs of beginning to 

 moult, and so look rather dingy, the new feathers looking 

 quite black in contrast with the old faded ones. 



The bird is plainly Anous melanogenys (Gray), and not A. 

 leucocapillus (Gould), the latter being, in fact, a somewhat 

 doubtful species, and further material being much needed to 

 clear up the point. 



Anous melanogenys has an extensive range, reaching from 

 the coast of Honduras down to Australia and Polynesia ; but 

 until recently it has generally been confounded with A. tenui- 

 rostris (Temm.), a species which has grey, instead of dai'k 

 black lores (Saunders, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 670, pi. Ixi.). The 

 egg is similar to that of Anous stolidus, but smaller and rather 

 more pointed. 



Booby [Sula leucogastra). 



Two adults, two young (about half fledged) , two eggs. 



This well-known bird requires little mention. It was 

 found breeding in considerable numbers on the top of Boat- 

 swain-bird Island, and a few pairs in company with the Nod- 

 dies [Anous stolidus) on the isolated rocklets before men- 

 tioned. The only interest attaching to these is that, in com- 

 pany with the other inhabitants of Boatswain-bird Island, they 

 are depositing a store of guano which may, at some far future 

 period, return to our Government some of the money which has 

 been spent on this naval station ; and had it not been that the 

 Governor of Ascension went to prospect, and took Mr. Gill 

 with him, this present collection of skins might never have 

 been formed. The adults are in very fine plumage, and were 

 taken on Boatswain-bird Island, as also the two young birds. 

 Both of these are rather more than half-grown, and are very 

 like their parents, except that where the latter are white they 

 are of a dull dusky brown, the tips of the feathers, however, 

 being pretty regularly sprinkled with greyish white. 



Sula cyanops. 



Two adults, three young, quarter to half fledged. 

 This bird is rather larger than the Booby, Sula leucogastra, 

 and is far more like our common Gannet. They were breed- 



SER. IV. VOL. III. Y 



