SULA. 147 



This Gannet, or Booby, is found over the greater part of the tropical and subtropical 

 seas, with the exception of the Pacific coast of America, where S. nebouxi takes its place. 

 Mr. Townsend noticed it on Swan Island throughout the month of March. Salvin ^ 

 met with specimens of this species in 18G2 on the islands off the coast of British 

 Honduras, where they were nesting on Half-Moon Cay. He states that there were 

 very few mangroves at the place, but the southern portion of the Cay, as well as the 

 whole windward side, was covered with " bush," where they bred in numbers. Every tree 

 had four or five nests. The birds were sitting about, with gaping beaks, completely 

 overcome by the intense heat of the sun, so much so that he thought they were dead ; 

 others were resting against a branch, with their heads hanging down and eyes shut. 

 The name of Booby is most appropriate, as they took all interference with the utmost 

 indifference, and with a complaisant grave expression that was laughable to watcli. 

 It was impossible to rouse the birds, even when he pulled their tails or fought them 

 for their eggs, nor could he succeed in getting up any excitement in the colony. It 

 was too hot to climb many trees, and, after a long search, he only succeeded in securing 

 four rotten eggs, which were of a chalky-white colour. 



4. Sula websteri. 



Sula bassana (nee Linn ), Grayson, Proc. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 302 \ 



&ula websteri, Eothsch. Bull. B. O. C. vii. p. lii (1898) ' ; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 



xxvi. p. 655 ' ; Anthony, Auk, xv. pp. 314 \ 316 % 317 °. 

 Sula piscatrix websteri, Rothsch. & Hartert, Nov. Zool. vi. p. 177'. 



/S. piscatori similis, quoad magnitudo et colores, sed cauda saturate cana : rostro quoque graciliore, et 

 rubedine rostri basaU magis extensa distinguenda (teste Kothschild, I. c). 



Hob. KKYiLLAfiiGEDo Is., San Benedicte I. {Anthony % Socorro I. {Grayson'^-, 

 Anthony % Clarion I. {Webster ^^, Anthony^); Mexico, Isabel I.* {Grayson^).— 

 Galapagos Akchipelago ^. 



S. websteri, of which we have not been able to examine a specimen, is described by 

 Mr. Eothschild as resembling S. piscator in dimensions, and in the white plumage and 

 hoary grey on the primaries ; but it may be at once distinguished by its dark grey 

 tail ; the bill is also moie' slender and the red on the base of the mandible is more 

 extended. The young, when in the grey plumage, are somewhat variable, but differ 

 much from those of S. piscator, being paler above and darker below, while the feathers 

 of the back are a uniform brown and not edged with light grey. Mr. Nelson believes 

 this to be the bird which Grayson ^ reported from Isabel Island as S. bassana, but 

 the species was not seen by him. 



Of the three species observed on the Revillagigedo Islands, Mr. Anthony found 

 this to be by far the most abundant on San Benedicte, nesting on rocks in the thick 

 grass all over the island. He took fresh eggs on May 1st, and on May 17th found a 



* Grayson calls this island " Isabella " and Nelson " Isabel " : tbe latter is correct. 



19* 



