of the Island of Rotumah. 45 



white crown. The note of the adult is similar to, but harsher 

 than^ that of the larger species. 



13. Angus stolidus (Linn.). 



One immature. " Nogo." 



In Funafuti the nest is usually placed at the summit of a 

 pandanus branch, completely surrounded by the broad, 

 lanceolate leaves. The nest is made of pieces of coconut and 

 pandanus leaves, twigs, &c., and is usually from six to ten 

 inches thick, by ten inches across. In the centre is a slight 

 de))ression for the single egg. The breeding-season is from 

 the middle of May to the eud of June. The young seem to 

 be fed principally on sea-molluscs, as plentiful pieces of shell 

 are to be found round and on the nests containing young. 

 The note of the parents is a sort of " cor-r-r-r." This is 

 made use of by the natives to lure the bird at night from the 

 top of a tree ; they catch it as it swoops down. A party of 

 five or six natives will thus often catch a hundred birds 

 in a night on one of the uninhabited islands to leeward. 



These thirteen species of birds are all which Mr. Gardiner 

 has obtained or observed at Rotumah, and he thinks the list 

 is complete so far as native land-birds are concerned. It is 

 interesting to note that the majority of the land-birds occur 

 also on the Fijian islands, e. g. Ptilopus, P'marolestes, and 

 Astur. The species of Aplonis and Lalage point still further 

 south, to Tonga. The Porphyrio and Rallus both have a wide 

 distribution, while the little Myzomela occurs also on the 

 New Hebrides and on Ponape, in the Carolines. It is 

 significant that but one of the species of Kotumah, namely 

 Lalage pacifica, occurs in the Samoan Islands. 



I append a list of the species of which specimens were 

 obtained at Funafuti, in the Ellice group : — Totanus 

 incanus, Numenius tahitensis, Charadrius fulvus, Strepsilas 

 inteipres, Limosa uropygialis, Anous stolidus, A. leuco- 

 capillus, Gygis Candida, and Demiegretta sacra. The following 

 species was observed, but not obtained: — Carpophaga pistri- 

 naria. This is the only typical and native land-bird at 



