Catalogue of Birds. 105 



of fuliginosa is smoky black ; in the latter species the white on 

 the side of the head terminates in a point over the eye, the 

 upper eyelid being black; in discolor the white extends over 

 and beyond the eye, with the upper eyelid white, and the black 

 line from the eye extends further forward separating the white 

 from the edge of the bill ; in fuliginosa the white of the front 

 comes to the edge of the bill forward of the black.* 



The egg of this species measures 1| by H inches ; the ground 

 color is creamy white marked with blotches of deep rusty 

 brown, most abundant on the larger end. 

 33. Anous stolidus (Linn.). 

 " * Noddy.' From my own and the observations of others, 

 this species appears to have been always represented by the 

 greatest number of individuals. During my residence its eggs 

 have been by far the most abundant of all. They usually 

 arrive in March and depart about the middle of August. On 

 account of their exceeding tameness these birds are easily 

 knocked down with a stick, and in former breeding seasons 

 large quantities of them were thus despatched, plucked, and 

 thrown into brine, for sale in St. Thomas. As an instance of 

 their tameness, many used to make their nests in crevices of 

 the cliff, within a few feet of the shute down which the lumps 

 of guano are thrown into the lighters. They appeared entirely 

 undisturbed by the roar and enveloping clouds of fine dust. 

 Their nests are of two kinds. For the first the Noddy gathers 

 together, by carrying in its bill, a considerable quantity of bits 

 of shells, deposits them in a shallow cavity of the rock, say 

 eight to twelve inches in diameter, deepens a little the centre 

 of the basin, and thereon lays her egg. Occasionally such a 

 nest is also encircled with a few twigs ; sometimes it consists of 

 over fifty pieces of shell, but more frequently the shells and 

 twigs are ^o scant that the egg lies upon the bare rock. The 

 nests built in the crevices of the cliff, however, consist chiefly 



* This species may be added to the Fauna of the United States, as I have a 

 specimen from Mr. Audubon's collection, obtained on the coast of Florida. 

 JUNE, 1S6L 8 Ann. Ltc. Nat. Hist. Vol, VIII. 



