NO. 15 BIRDS OF THE PACIFIC WAR AREA BAKER 4I 



At Peleliu, tropic-birds were more numerous than at Guam and 

 occurred in all parts of the island, in jungle areas and at cliffs. Birds 

 were nesting in August and September. Nests were observed in 

 hollows of the Australian pine {Casuarhia eqiiisetifolia) , between 20 

 and 30 feet from the ground. Nesting birds were easily found, since 

 their long tail feathers could be seen extending from the hollows. One 

 nest was observed in a dead tree in a cleared battle area ; others were 

 in trees surrounded by jungle vegetation (pi. 2, fig. 2). One male 

 (September) had enlarged testes. Stomachs of birds collected con- 

 tained small fish. 



At Truk, McElroy found tropic-birds at the high cliffs on Moen 

 Island in November and December. 



SULA LEUCOGASTER PLOTUS (Forster) 



Pelecamis Ploius Forster, Descr. Anim., ed. Licht., 1844, p. 278. (near New 

 Caledonia.) 



Rota Island: Taipingot Peninsula — i male, i female, i juvenile 

 female, October 24. 



At Rota, 12 brown boobies were seen by Johnson at the high cliffs 

 on Taipingot Peninsula on October 24. The juvenile female weighed 

 1,042 grams. The adult male was in molt. Birds were seen at Guam 

 flying near cliffs and offshore in May, July, and November. At Truk, 

 one bird was recorded at Udot Island in December. 



PHALACROCORAX MELANOLEUCOS MELANOLEUCOS (Vieillot) 



Ilydrocorax mdanolnicos Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 8, 1817, p. 88. 

 ("Australasie," restricted type locality, New South Wales, fide Mathews.) 



Palau Islands (Peleliu Island) : Akarakoro Point — 2 females, 2 

 juvenile females, September 7, 16; Asias — i juvenile female, August 

 27; Eastern Peninsula — i female, September 10. 



Measurements of two adult females are: wing 220 and 222, tail 

 153 and 157, culmen from notch of the suture between the maxilla and 

 the quadratojugal bones 35 and :i)6. These measurements are within 

 the range of those given by Amadon (Amer. Mus. Novit., No. 1175, 

 1942, pp. 1-2). 



On islands of the southern Palaus visited by our field party, the 

 cormorant was found in mangrove swamps (pi. 3, fig. i), The birds 

 were occasionally observed in groups of 10 or more individuals. They 

 were sluggish birds and could be approached easily. Stomachs con- 

 tained fish. There was no indication of breeding during August and 

 September. Most of the birds had worn or molting plumage when 

 collected. 



