Birds of the Bonin Islands. 107 



but it only differs from Nycticorax caledonica in having the 

 bill slightly stouter, measuring from 1 to '9 (instead of from 

 •9 to -8) inch at the base of the nostrils. 



SULA LEUCOGASTRA. 



The Common Booby was procured on the Bonin Islands 

 by Mr. Stimpson in 1854 (Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. 

 Philad. 1862, p. 325), and has already been recorded as 

 breeding on these islands (Blakiston and Pryer, Trans. As. 

 Soc. Japan, 1882, p. 102). Mr. Hoist has sent an adult 

 male and an adult female from Peel Island, obtained on the 

 11th of May. He states that this species is common on the 

 lonely islands, especially on Long Island or Minam-Shima, 

 whence he has sent an egg. The egg measures 2-5 by 1*6 

 inches, and is greenish white with very little superfluous 

 chalk on the surface. The colours of the soft parts of the 

 birds are not given, but the bill appears to be pale yellow, 

 and the feet yellowish green. 



Phaeton rubricauda. 



Mr. Hoist writes that there is a bunch of the tail-feathers 

 of the Red-tailed Tropic-bird in the Tokio Museum labelled 

 Bonin Islands. I have a skin which was procured by Mr. 

 Snow in the spring of 1883 on Krusenstern Island, about 

 forty degrees to the east of the Bonin Islands. Mr. Hoist 

 was told that a white bird with red tail was common at 

 certain seasons on the Parry Islands. 



Thus the Bonin Islands appear to have derived their resident 

 birds from various sources. After the winter visitors have 

 been eliminated there remain only 15 residents. Of these, 

 Diomedea albatrus, (Estrelata hypoleuca, Sula leucogastra, 

 and Phaeton rubricauda are ocean-birds with ranges of con- 

 siderable extent, leaving only 11 resident land-birds. Of 

 these Corvus japonensis, Monticola solitarius, and Buteo plu- 

 mipes are Japanese birds, leaving the following eight species 

 peculiar to the Bonin Islands : — 



1. Geocichla terrestris, which is not very nearly allied 

 to any other species, but is probably connected with 

 G. sibirica. 



