LESSEE NODDY. 101 



feathers in front of the eye jet-black like the upper throat ; short feathers encircling 

 the eye black with a white spot above and a short white line below ; bill and feet 

 black; iris blackish Total length 330 mm.; culmen 45, wing 228, tail 118, 

 tarsus 23. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 



Immature. Pure or yellowish-white distinct cap on top of head ; lores black 

 otherwise dark brown throughout. 



Nestling. Sooty-brown, upper part of the head pale ash-grey forming a cap, 

 becoming more whitish on the fore-head ; under -surf ace a shade paler. 



This may develop into a paler brown plumage with fainter tipping, which only 

 lasts for a very short time, becoming darker and losing the tipping. 



Nest. Slightly cupped, composed of fresh seaweed, which is firmly cemented 

 to a bough of a tree. 



Egg. Clutch, one ; ground-colour whitish, spotted round the larger end with 

 reddish-brown ; sometimes a few pale grey spots over the rest of the egg ; axis 

 45-47 mm., diameter 31.5-33. 



Breeding -season. November, December. (Norfolk Island.) 



Distribution and forms. Throughout the tropical oceans, breeding on isolated 

 islets. Ma thews admitted seven subspecies, but we find that M. melanogenys (Gray) 

 (=A. hawaiiensis Roths.) must be reinstated as a distinct species, having the grey 

 head and neck of M . tenuirostris, but with the black lores of the present species and 

 with a very distinct pale grey tail. This leaves six forms, as follows : M . m. minutus 

 Boie (=A. leucocapillus Gould) from North-eastern Australian seas breeding on 

 Norfolk Island and the Kermadecs (more than one subspecies may be here included) ; 

 M . m. worcesteri (McGregor) from the Philippine Islands, in having a darker, greyer 

 tail and longer toes ; M . m. marcusi (Bryan) from Marcus Island (compared only 

 with M . hawaiiensis Roths.) ; M. m. diamesus (Heller and Snodgrass) from the Cocos 

 and Clipperton Islands, intermediate between M. leucocapillus and M. hawaiiensis 

 in both colour of plumage and size of bill ; M. m. americanus Mathews from, the 

 Caribbean Sea, British Honduras, separated by its stouter bill and browner tail, 

 while it is less bluish-plumbeous on the upper back and throat ; and M. m. atlanticus 

 Mathews from Ascension Island, St. Paul's Rocks and Fernando Noronha with 

 longer stouter bills, white more restricted to crown of head, long wings and blackish 

 tail. 



73. Megalopterus tenuirostris. -LESSER NODDY. 



[Sterna tenuirostris Temminck et Laugier, Planch. Color. d'Ois., 34^ livr. (Vol. II., pi. 202), 

 (Vol. IV., pi. 104 ? May), July 26th, 1823 : " Senegal " errore = Seychelles. Extra-limited.] 



Gould, Vol. VII., pi. 35 (pt. xxii.), March 1st, 1846. Mathews, Vol. II., pt. 4, pi. 116, Nov. 

 1st, 1912. 



Anous melanops Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1845, p. 103, Feb. 1846 : Houtrnan's Abrol- 

 hos, West Australia. 



DISTRIBUTION. South-west Australia. 



Adult male. Entire wings, back, tail, breast and abdomen sooty-black, like 

 the under-tail coverts and under wing-coverts ; head greyish-white becoming ash- 

 grey on the hind -neck, darker on the sides of the neck, and inclining to black on the 

 throat and fore-neck ; short feathers encircling the eye velvety-black, bill and feet 

 black; iris ashy. Total length 393 mm. ; culmen (exp.) 39, wing 209, tail 112, 

 tarsus 24. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 



Young in down. Sooty-black, upper part of the head mouldy-white, bill and 

 feet black. 



Immature. Does not appear to have been described ; may be similar to adult. 



