APPENDIX 1 339 



(4) Angus stolidus, Linn. 

 Native name, Bitrung hrok. 



Not resident in the Southern atoll, but a frequent visitor 

 to the lagoon. In Keeling atollon it breeds in great numbers. 

 In June the breeding-season has almost come to an end. The 

 nests are made about a foot above the ground, on little collec- 

 tions of sea-tossed wrack. In the atollon all the " noddies " 

 build close together in a rather limited area. Only one q^^ 

 was found in each nest. 



(5) Gygis CANDIDA, Wagler, /szs, 1832, p. 1223. 

 Native name, Bumng chuit-chuit (onomatopoeic). 



Darwin noted the bird in 1836 ("Naturalist's Voyage,' 

 p. 462), and H. 0. Forbes gave an account of it in 1879 

 (" Naturalist's Wanderings," p. 34). The bird agrees with the 

 description of Wagler : ''• Irides nigro-cserulese : rostrum 

 nigrum, basi Cijeruleum ; lingua sublata rostro brevier ; pedes 

 cserulei, palma alba, ungues nigri." 



In a good description of this bird (Cassin, " U.S. Explor. 

 Exped.," p. 389) the feet are said to be " pale blue, having a 

 deeply indented yellow membrane." In Gould's " Birds of 

 Australia," vol. vii., the feet are described as orange, and are 

 figured of that colour in the accompanying plate. In other 

 accounts it is stated that the feet are yellow or brown. The 

 bird, as I have seen it in the Cocos-Keeling group, invariably 

 has the feet entirely blue, the web being slightly lighter than 

 the toes. 



The bird is a common one, and occurs in all the islands. 

 It breeds in the Southern group as well as in Keeling Island. 



Although the bird feeds mostly on fish, it may often be 

 seen hovering around the papaia trees and eating the soft 

 fruit. It is quite arboreal in its habits, and its one e^g is laid 

 sometimes at a height of 40 feet from the ground. Most of 

 the eggs were found in September, but on visiting Keeling 

 Island in June two eggs were found after very little searching. 

 The Ggg is almost perfectly oval (40-43 mm. in its long axis, 

 21-22 mm. in its short axis); it is cream-coloured, mettled 



