DUSKY NODDY. 141 



period of incubation, and are very noisy. They are 

 called Noddies from their apparent stupidity in flying 

 into ships, and allowing themselves to be caught by 

 the hand ; but they will frequently inflict very severe 

 wounds with their beak, and scratch with their claws 

 those persons who attempt to catch them. 



DUSKY NODDY. 



(Anous fuscatus.) 



An. corpore nigricante immaculato, pedibus rubris, rostrojiisco. 

 Noddy with an immaculate dusky body, red legs, and brown beak. 

 Sterna fuscata. Linn. Si/st. Nat. 1. 228. Gmel. Si/st. Nat. I. 



610. Lath. hid. Om. 2. 807. 

 Sterna fusca. Briss. Orn. 6. 220. pl.2\. f. 1. 

 Dusky Tern. Lath. Gen. Syn. 6. 360. Lath. Gen. Hist. x. 129. 



The Dusky Noddy is in length eleven inches : its 

 beak is greyish-brown with its tip black : the head, 

 throat, and hind part of the neck are dusky brown : 

 the back, rump, scapulars, and upper tail-coverts the 

 same, with the edges of the feathers rufous : the lesser 

 and middle wing coverts dusky brown above : the 

 greater coverts dusky : the quills dusky, the shafts 

 beneath white : the two next the body tipped with 

 rufous : the fore part of the neck and all the under 

 parts of the plumage are brown : tail dusky, the two 

 middle feathers with rufous tips : legs dull red : claws 

 black. Inhabits St. Domingo. 



