74 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA, 
54. Piscatrix sulan—RED-LEGGED GANNET. 
[Pelecanus sula Linné, Syst. Nat., 12th ed., p. 218, (pref. May 24th) 1766: Ascension Island. 
Extra-limital.] 
Gould, Vol. VII., pl. 79 (pt. xxrv.), Sept. Ist, 1846. Mathews, Vol. IV., pt. 3, pl. 225, June 
23rd, 1915. 
Sula rubripes Gould, Synops. Birds Austr., pt. Iv., App., p. 7, April Ist, 1838: [New South 
Wales =} Raine Island, North Queensland. 
DisTRIBUTION.—Queensland, New South Wales (?). 
Adult female —General colour above and below white tinged with buff ; greater 
upper wing-coverts, bastard-wing, primary-coverts and quills hoary-grey, inner 
webs of quills paler and becoming white towards the base on the secondaries ; under 
wing-coverts white with the exception of the median and greater series which are 
for the most part grey. Bill light horn colour shading to pink at base; naked 
skin round the eye blue ; gular pouch black, bordered with bright pink ; line across 
the fore-head and running along the line of the upper mandible to the gape pink ; 
eye grey and white; feet rose colour. Total length 710 mm.; culmen 83, wing 
392, tail 230, tarsus 40. 
Adult male—Similar to the adult female. 
Immature and Nestling—‘ The young are hatched out blind, with pale leaden- 
coloured skin, and with only an indication of down, distributed in the same way as 
in the other species, but with a very dark and shorter bill and dark mask, and this, 
instead of getting lighter as the bird grows older, gets darker, the bill and face of the 
fully-feathered young being almost black. The down on the nestling is also darker 
than in the other two kinds, and the fully-feathered young bird is of a dirty grey 
general colour, especially on the head, back, breast and abdomen, which is white 
in the adult. The bill and mask in the adult is creamy-white, with red border above 
the eyes and under the chin, and red legs. The legs of the mature young are leaden, 
with a tinge of pink. We find two adults, sitting on small young, with the bill and 
mask as in a mature adult, but with the general feathering of immaturity, leading 
us to believe that these birds do not attain to their mature plumage until two years 
at least have elapsed, and that they breed during the stage of immaturity.” 
(Macgillivray,) 
Nest.—A platform of sticks about 8 to 12 inches across, with the depression 
in the centre about one inch. 
Lggs.—Clutch, one; ground-colour bluish-white, covered with lime, axis 
56-58 mm., diameter 38-40. 
Breeding-season.—May and July to September. 
Distribution and forms—Tropical oceans breeding on isolated islets. Two 
subspecies have been suggested : P. s. sula Linné, from the Atlantic Ocean, breeding 
on Ascension Island ; and P. s. rubripes (Gould) from the Pacific Ocean, breeding 
on Raine Island, North-east Australia, larger in every dimension and probably 
differently coloured soft parts. 
Genus PARASULA. 
Parasula Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. II., pts. 2 and 3, p. 55, Oct. 23rd, 1913. Type 
(by original designation) : Sula dactylatra bedouti Mathews. 
Large Suline birds with long bill, medium thick neck, long wings, long tail, 
stout short legs and long toes, totipalmate ; the base of the jaws and chin naked, 
but no naked strip down centre of throat. 
In general structural characters this genus agrees with the succeeding, differing 
