448 TROPIC BIRD. 



bird all at once, and obliged it to fly off; it then returned with its 

 mate, but without effect, for both were driven away, as the single 

 one had been before; when the Grakles returned to the tree, and the 

 spectator left them. 



This species has been met with in several places of the South 

 Seas; is very common at Palmerston and Turtle Islands ; at Hervey's 

 Island in the greatest plenty, and considerable numbers were killed 

 for provisions ; and here also they make the nests, in the same 

 manner as at Mauritius. The name known by at Otaheite and the 

 Friendly Isles is Twagge and Totto. We are not without our doubt 

 whether the abovementioned birds do not belong to one and the 

 same species, in different stages of life. M. Temminck supposes 

 the Red-tailed one to be in the highest perfection of feather. 



4.— NEW-HOLLAND TROPIC BIRD. 



IN a collection of drawings from New-Holland, is a black-billed 

 one, said to be a young Tropic Bird, but without any elongated 

 tail feathers; length to the end of the tail eighteen inches. This 

 corresponds with our second as to plumage, but differs in having the 

 legs yellow, instead of black, and no markings of black whatever 

 on the thighs, or under parts; and the inner coverts of the wings 

 only spotted with black, but the quills have a sagittared dash of 

 black ; at the end of each is a streak of black, continued from the 

 black web ; the tail feathers are also crossed with three or four bars 

 of black. — A specimen of this last has not yet been seen here, but 

 from every appearance, it is most probably a distinct species. 



In addition to the above, we have met with one of the long centre 

 tail feathers of a Tropic Bird, different from any others ; length 

 much as in the Red-tailed ; the shafts black ; webs buff*-colour, not 

 continued to a point in the usual way, but rather rounded at the end. 

 All we could learn concerning it was, that it was brought from the 

 South Seas, but the precise place not mentioned. 



