56 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 



[I 13.1.] Red-tailed Tropic Bird. Phaethon rubricaudus. 



Range. Tropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, accidental off the 

 coast of Lower California. 



This is a singularly beauti- 

 ful species resembling the 

 latter except that the central 

 tail feathers are bright red, 

 with the extreme tips white. 

 During August and Septem- 

 ber they breed in large 

 colonies on small islands in 

 the South Seas. On Maur- 

 itius Island they build their 

 nests either in the trees or 

 %%? place them on the ground; 

 the nest is made of seaweed, 

 sticks and weeds; numbers of 

 them nest on Laysan Is., of 

 the Hawaiian group, conceal- 

 ing their nests on the ground 

 under overhanging brush. 



The single egg has a pale 



[Pale purplish ground color.] purplish ground speckled 



with brown. 



Photo by A. H. Verrill. 

 YELLOW- BILLED TROPIC BIRDS NEST. 



