VIII 



SULA AUSTKALIS (Gould). 



AUSTRALIAN G AN NET. Genus: Sula. 



REFERENCE has already been made to the pithy title of i£ Booby" which has been conferred on some of 

 the members of this genus which seem to be almost totally wanting in the instinct of self-preservation. 

 In general terms a bird presents itself to the mind as an image of alertness in spying out danger and of quickness 

 in escaping from it : the "Boobies," from their want of discrimination in these respects, stand out the clearer by 

 contrast Though powerful on the wing and agile in the water, their insensibility to the power of man 

 is most curious. This strange propensity is remarkably developed in the Australian Gamut, which will 

 sit unsuspicious on the rocks, gazing stupidly at its enemies till caught by hand or knocked over with a 

 stick. It may be thus captured, not only during the breeding season, when many birds, otherwise shy, 

 will remain to protect their eggs or young ones, but even when resting on the rocks, these " Boobies " 

 allow the invaders to approach, and only when some of the flock have been caught will the remainder 

 seek refuge in flight. The fact of its inhabiting the wildest and most inhospitable parts of the coast 

 line, parts where men seldom have occasion to visit, may in great measure account for its unsuspicious 

 nature; whatever the reason, there is no other known bird with such powers of flight which shows such 

 recklessness as to its safety. The Sula Australis is found in much the same latitudes in the southern 

 hemisphere which the Sula Bassana inhabits north of the equator, and the two species are very similar 

 in their habits. The former is found in considerable numbers on the southern coasts of Tasmania : it also 

 inhabits, though in lesser numbers, the south coast of Australia. 



Its food consists entirely of fish, which it captures in a similar way to the other members of 

 the tribe, by plunging down upon them from a height. 



The young differ widely in the colour of their plumage from that of the full-grown bird. On 

 leaving the shell, they are of a uniform dark-grey, which is replace;! by white blotched with grey, on 

 the under surfaces; the leathers of the wings and back having a triangular mark of white at the tip. 

 These colours meree gradually into the following, which are characteristic of the adult : — 



Crown of the head and back of the neck, brilliant orange : primaries, secondaries and four central 

 tail feathers, rich dark-brown ; remainder of the plumage, pure white. Space round the eye, dark-grey : 

 bill, dirty -yellow with a grey tip ; brides, yellow ; legs and feet greenish. 



Length, 32 inches ; bill, 5i inches; wing, l'J inches: tail, 10 inches; tarsi, 2 inches. 



Habitats : Coasts of Tasmania and Southern Australia and on the neighbouring islands and rocks. 



