74 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



54. Piscatrix sula. RED-LEGGED GANNET. 



[Pelecanus sula Linn6, Syst. Nat., 12th ed., p. 218, (pref. May 24th) 1766: Ascension Island. 

 Extra-limital.] 



Gould, Vol. VII., pi. 79 (pt. xxiv.). Sept. 1st, 1846. Mathews, Vol. IV., pt. 3, pi. 225, June 

 23rd, 1915. 



Sula rubripes Gould, Synops. Birds Austr., pt. iv., App., p. 7, April 1st, 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. 



Eggs. 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 Linne*, 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 



