37 



fess I was not at all ptepared for the surprise I experienced In wit- 

 nessing the ainazing clouds (literally speaking) which these birds 

 present when congregating iu the evening; while they had their 

 young to feed, their departure and return -vvith food during the day 

 in one direction had a most singular appearance. From their breed- 

 ing-place, across the smooth M'ater to seaward, beyond the outer 

 reef, is a distance of about four miles, and this entire distance, in 

 their one and regular track, wore the appearance of one continuous 

 dark line, from their prodigious numbers : after the young were en- 

 abled to aceompany the parent birds, I observed they all left the 

 breeding or roosting-place in the morning and did not again return 

 till evening, apparently the first comers waiting the arrival of the 

 lašt before finally roosting for the night ; it is Avhen thus assembling 

 that the amazing number is seen to perfection : even Audubon, "who 

 has been so accustomed to see such vast flocks of the passenger pigeon, 

 could hardly avoid expressing surprise if he had an opportunity of 

 seeing these birds at sunset, moving in one immense mass over and 

 around their roosting-place ; while the noise of the old birds' quack 

 and the piping \vliistle of the young ones is almost deafening. This 

 bird, likę its congener, lays but a single egg; it commences incu- 

 bating in December, and appears to be the exclusive inhabitant of 

 the mangroves ; and while sitting on its egg or tending its young is 

 as easily caught as the Noddy, sufFering itself to be taken ofF its nešt 

 rather than leave it. As an article of food it was the favourite, 

 several hundreds being killed almost daily during our stay on the 

 island. From the circumstance of this bird inhabiting the upper 

 branches may be attributed its numbers being greater than any 

 other of the numerous birds which inhabit the islands, the lizards 

 being unable to climb the branches Avith the facility necessary for 

 capturing their prey, and it thus escapes their repeated attaoks, to 

 which the others mušt at all times be subject on the ground." 



Mr. L. Fraser laid upon the table three new species of Birds, which 

 he described as 



Lagopus ferrugineus. Lag. dorso, humeris, et uropygio, nitide 



ferrugineis ; singulis plumis in mediofusco nofatis ; capite et colio 



fuscis ; plumarum radicibus albis ; primariis cinereis ; caudd su- 



pertie cinered,ferrugineo marginatd et ad apicem albd ; femoribus 



tarsisgue ferrugineis nigro atąue albo, vix distincte fasciatis; 



rostro et unguibus nigris, ceromate et digitis flavis. 



Upper surface dark brown, mottled slightly with -vvhite on the head 



and neck ; tail above the basai half "vvhite, terminai brown, totally 



white beneath, the feathers on the breast having brown quills and 



those on the sides and thighs spotted with brown. 



Totai length 23Į in. ; wings, 17 ; tail, 10; gape, 1| ; tarsi, 3. 

 Hab. Mexico. 

 Mus. Zooi. Soc. Lond. 



There are three specimens of this bird in diflferent stages of plu- 

 mage in the Society's coUection, all from Mexico ; one was presented 

 by John Taylor, Esq., another by N. A. Vigors, Esq. 



