708 MR. H. SAUNDERS ON THE LARID.E. [NoV. 20, 



species. The examyile No. 564 is an instance of this, it being a 

 superb old bird, freshly moulted, with all the edges of the feathers 

 perfect, the crown of the head of a pale laveisder, and with much 

 smoke-colour on the throat, neck, and breast ; the primaries and tail- 

 feathers like satin, and having in some cases not quite attained their 

 full length ; altogether the finest s])ecimen of the common Noddy 

 I ever saw. Both this and the next species are described in Mr. 

 Murray's journal as being very abundant at the Admiralty Islands, 

 hovering in immense numbers over shoals of fish. That the general 

 range of these species is intertropical is tolerably well known ; but it 

 is som.ewhat surprising to find both this and xl. melatiogenys at In- 

 accessible Island, close to Tristan d'Acunha, in 37° S. latitude, on 

 the peculiar domain of the Albatross and the Penguin. The two 

 examples of A. sloUdus from there are absolutely identical with 

 specimens from the Tortugas ; and I can find no reason for attribut- 

 ing any of the larger form to other than this species. 



9. Anotjs melanogenys. Gray. 



Anous melanogenys, G. R. Gray, Gen. Birds, iii. p. 661, pi. 182 

 (1849) ; Saunders, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 670. 



Anous tenuirostris mult, auctorum, nee Temm. 



[In alcohol. Adult, young in down, and egg. St. Paul's Rocks, 

 Atlantic Ocean. 



1 specimen. St. Paul's Rocks, August 27ch, 187.3. 



1 specimen. Inaccessible Island, Tristan d'Acunha, Oct. 1 6th, 

 1873. In caves and on trees. 



No. 484, 2 • Admiralty Islands, March 3rd and 10th, 1875. 



No. 508, ?. At sea. March 20th, 1875. Stomach contained 

 small Crustacea. Eyes black.] 



In the adult specimen from St. Paul's rocks, where the breeding- 

 season was far advanced, the feathers are much worn ; and the bird 

 from Inaccessible Island appears to be only a few months old, the 

 portion of the bill in front of the mandibular angle being very short 

 and weak. Under the head of the preceding species I have already 

 remarked upon the noteworthy fact of these two Noddies being found 

 so far south ; and it would be interesting to know if they breed there. 

 The specimens from the Admiralty Islands are adults. 



10. Larus ridibundus, L. 



Larus ridibundus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 225 (1766). 



[No. 363, c?. Manila, January nth and 14th, 1875. Eyes brown. 

 4 specimens, 2 S , 2 2 . Yokohama, Japan, May 1875. Eyes 

 brown.] 



The Manila specimen and two of the Japanese are birds of the 

 previous year ; the other two are adults. One of these, a female, is 

 remarkable for its small size, the wing (allowing for a deficient pri- 

 mary) being only 11 '5 inches long; still I have seen and possess similar 

 examples of diminutive females from other localities, as well as from 

 Japan and China ; and the other parts being in proportion, there la 

 nothing else to distinguish this from the ordinary form. 



