STERNA ANOUti 819 



Hob. Tropical seas generally ; both coasts of Africa, south to 

 Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands ; the Indian Ocean and 

 China Seas, north to Japan, and south to New Guinea, North 

 Australia, the Fiji, Tonga, Ellice, and Phoenix Groups ; of 

 accidental occurrence on the coasts of Florida, and is said to have 

 once occurred at the mouth of the Thames. 



In general habits it resembles S. fuliginosa, but does not breed 

 in such large colonies, its single egg being laid on the sand 

 or ground, or in holes in the coral or sandstone, in May. The 

 eggs resemble those of S. fuliginosa, but are rather smaller 

 and less boldly marked. 



ANOTTS, Steph., 1826. 



1127. NODDY. 

 ANGUS STOLIDUS. 



Anous stolidus (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 227 (1766) ; (Audub. ), B. Am. 

 pi. 275 ; (Gould), B. of E. v. pi. 421 ; (Hewitson), ii. p. 486, 

 pi. cxxxiv. fig. 3 ; (Seebohm), B. Jap. Emp. p. 300 ; Gould, B. 

 of Austral, vii. pi. 34 ; David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 529 ; 

 Saunders, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxv. p. 136 ; id. Manual, p. 655 ; 

 Ridgway, p. 48 ; Lilford, vi. p. 29, pi. 13 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. 

 Birds, iv. p. 325. 



(J ad. (Brit. Honduras). Forehead nearly white ; crown pale grey 

 passing into greyish brown on the nape ; lores and orbital region black ; 

 cheeks and throat plumbeous ; rest of plumage above and below chocolate- 

 brown ; wings and tail blackish ; bill black, orange at the angle of the 

 gape ; legs dusky vinous purple ; iris deep brown. Culmen 2'1, wing 

 10'15, tail 6'2, tarsus I'O inch. 



Hob. Tropical and subtropical seas ; the Atlantic and Pacific 

 coasts of America down to Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic ; 

 the coasts of tropical and subtropical Africa, and of Asia north 

 to Japan ; Australia down to about 35 S. lat. ; islands of the 

 Pacific up to Laysan, &c., and down to the Galapagos, but not 

 Peru or Chile ; is said to have been obtained off the south- 

 east coast of Ireland. 



Is essentially an oceanic species. It feeds on small fish, 

 mollusca, medusae, &c. Unlike the other Terns, it constructs a 

 somewhat bulky nest of twigs, grass, or seaweed, which is placed 

 on a bush or tree, and deposits 1 egg only, which is laid from 

 January to May and September, according to latitude. The 

 eggs are dull and glossless in texture, white, muddy white, or 



3 H 



