ANOUS STOLIDUS. 1045 



month at St. Paul's rocks in the Atlantic. At Ascension, however, and in British Honduras it breeds in the 

 early part of the year. 



I append here the following account by Mr. Gilbert, taken from Mr. Gould's work, of the breeding of 

 this species at the Houtmann's Abrolhos, a group of islets lying off the west coast of Australia in lat. 28° S. : — 

 " It lays its eggs in November and December, on a nest constructed of seaweed, about 6 inches in diameter 

 and varying in height from 4 to 8 inches, but without any thing like regularity of form ; the top is nearly 

 flat, there being but a very slight hollow to prevent their single egg from rolling off. The nests are so 

 completely plastered with the excrement of the bird, that at first sight they appear to be entirely formed of 

 that material ; they are either placed on the ground in a clear open space, or on the tops of the thick scrub, 

 over those of the Onychoprion fuliginosus, the two species incubating together with the most perfect harmony, and 

 the bushes presenting a mottled appearance from the great numbers of both species perched on the top .... On 

 walking among the nests I was surprised to observe the pertinacity with which the birds kept their post ; in 

 fact they would not remove from off the egg or young, but would suffer themselves to be trodden upon or taken 

 off with the hand ; and so thickly were the nests placed, that it was no easy matter to avoid crushing either 

 eggs or birds at every step." Mr. Gilbert says that numbers of the young are killed by a small lizard 

 abundant on the island, and which extracts the brains and vertebral marrow, so that not more than one out of 

 every twenty hatched reaches maturity. 



The eggs of this Noddy are a delicate reddish white, rather rough in texture and pointed ovals in shape, 

 very sparingly marked with small specks of brownish red round the larger end, or with a few larger blots of 

 the same sparingly scattered over the whole surface; beneath these markings are faint spots of delicate 

 bluish grey. Some examples in a series before me, belonging to Mr. Dresser, and taken in British Honduras, 

 measure 1-87 by 1-35, 2-05 by 1-41, and P96 by P36 inch. 



There are many other breeding-places of this Noddy throughout the world ; some are in the Pacific, 

 two of which, at Niuafon and Eua Islands in the Friendly group, are cited by Dr. 0. Finsch. It probably 

 breeds at Rodriguez, and. also, according to Heuglin, in the Bed Sea. 



GAVIiE. 



LARID^. 



Subfam. LABIN^E. 



Bill stout, of moderate length ; tip of the upper mandible curved ; the gonys short and 

 angulated ; nostrils oblong and pervious. Wings when closed exceeding the tail. Tertials not 

 exceeding the 6th primary. Tail short and even, or slightly cuneate. Tarsus longer than the 

 middle toe and claw ; the anterior scutes transverse and broad ; toes fully webbed ; hind toe 

 rudimentary in one genus. 



With a change of plumage in summer, acquired by a moult, chiefly on the head. Of 

 natatorial habit. 



Genus LABUS. 

 Characters of bill and wings as in the subfamily. Tail short and even at the tip ; webs 

 complete ; hind toe present and not rudimentary. 



6s 2 



