AVIFAUNA OF LAYS.W. 



having the abdomen mostly white, the feathers of the back rounded, the head sometimes 

 pure white, sometimes overspread with rusty yellow, the bill red and lacking the great 

 Liar pouch. I would consider this, without doubt, an immature plumage of the former 

 species, if there were not so many varieties that one appears to be able to distinguish 

 the old and young of this form, and none of them have a traee of the long and ponded 

 glossy leathers on the baek. Siuee the officers of the < Moller ' clearly recognized the two 

 different species, one is induced to believe that they are better distinguished m hie ami 

 by their habits than they seem to be in museum cabinets. It must be admitted that this 

 does not make the difference quite certain, but renders it very probable; since both 

 forms were always found on the same islands, but not in company, the white-headed 

 variety can certainly not be the winter plumage. 



-This variety was common on Gardner Island, while the other was rare; it flew 

 generally very high, together with the Phaeton, and did not cry. On Holier and 

 lisiansky, on the other hand, where the other was common, this form was scarce, not in 

 pairs, and not nesting; it was often seen sitting or running on the rocks, but mostly 



flying very high. . 



5 Fhaeton (an Candidas?), with white, somewhat broad tail-feathers; seen singly near 

 Gardner, only flying very high. The voice was similar to that of Ph. phce incur us, which 

 has some resemblance to that of our Larus ridibundm. The visitors to Gardner 

 mentioned as a very remarkable sight the persistent flight of one of these birds with a 

 Frigate-bird, that tried in vain to steal a fish from it that it had just caught. 



"Here, too, the Phaeton was not seen sitting or swimming. This is probably the 

 most persistent flier of all the birds in existence, although its wings have not the 

 enormous appearance of those of the Albatrosses, for example, which arc so often seen 

 resting on the water, but which can by no means be compared with the Phaeton in 

 rapidity and lightness of flight, I have seen innumerable Phaetons, especially of the 

 red-tailed species, which never showed the slightest intention to swim, and they frequent 

 chiefly those parts of the sea where not a single rock is to be found, so that they cannot 

 possibly rest on dry land at night-time. I have also never seen or heard that a Phaeton 

 rested on a ship at night, as other birds, for example the species of Sula, so often do. 

 Very likely the Phaeton sleeps whilst swimming, and spends the rest of its life, except 

 the breeding-season, on the wing. At least this applies to Phaeton plioenicurus, which I 

 observed so often, and which, in the Pacific Ocean, is common in both the Tropics, but 

 especially in the northern Tropic, north of which, contrary to its general habits, it 

 ranges up to 40 degrees in the Pacific. 



G. A species of Carlo ? \ of about the size of Pelecanus piscator ; chestnut-brown. Not very 

 numerous on Moller, where it nests on the above-mentioned palm-trees. Three nests, 

 built of twigs, were placed on one tree ; the birds were sitting on the nests in pairs 

 and showed little fear. They were just then sitting on two eggs each, about the same 

 size as those of the Lapwing, grey in colour and spotted. This bird was also seen on 

 Lisiansky. 



7. Pclecanus piscator, L. White, with blackish wings ; bill bluish, with red gular skin, with 



1 Sula sula (Linn.).— W. 11. 



