AVIFAUNA OF LAYS AX. 



43 



20. ANOUS HAWAIIENSIS, Rothsck 



NOIO (Sandwich Islands). 



Anous hawaiiensis, Rothsch. 13 nil. B. O. C. no. x. p. lvii (July 1893). 



Adult. Forehead and entire top of head ashy white, this gradually merging into the sooty 

 blackish hack and rump, so that the hind neck and the upper part of the interscapular 

 region are light ashy green. Back and rump sooty Mack ; wings with their upper and 

 under coverts uniform sooty black. Tail pale grey; the outer rectrices a shade darker, 

 the middle ones palest. Beneath sooty black; the under surface of the neck very 

 slightly washed with grey. Iris very dark brown ; bill black ; legs dark yellowish brown. 

 Total length about 13J inches, wings 8*4 to 8*75 (average 8-05), tail 4"8 to 5 (average 4*8), 

 tarsus 07, culmen 1*5 to 1*7 (average 1*6). 



The immature bird is more brownish and quite uniform above and below ; only the forehead 

 and crown whitish ash-colour. 



The nestling is covered with whitish clown. 



Tins interesting new species is a northern representative of the Anous melanogenys, Gray, to 

 which it is closely allied. It is, however, without difficulty distinguished by the whitish 

 colour of the crown being spread over the nape, by the hind neck being light ashy grey, 

 instead of sooty black as in A. melanogenys, and by the light grey tail, which is sooty black 

 in A. melanogenys; the tail in this latter species is almost, or quite, of the same colour as the 

 wing, while it distinctly contrasts with that of the wing in A. hawaiiensis. The wing 

 seems to be a little shorter on an average, but, as it varies somewhat, this character does not 

 hold good ; also the bill is somewhat shorter and less pointed on an average, but varies a little 

 like that of A. melanogenys. 



The "Noio," as the Hawaiian Noddy is called on the Sandwich Islands, was first found 

 rather common on the shores of Kauai, and breeding-places were discovered on Laysan, 

 Lisiansky, and Midway Islands. On Laysan they were observed in some numbers on the 

 north side of the island, sitting about in clusters. They lay one egg. Two eggs sent from 

 Laysan are cream-buff, with some dark brown and pale purplish-grey underlying more or less 

 roundish spots; they measure 178 by 12 inch, and are quite of the character of the eggs of 

 other species of Anous \ 



1 The photograph of the nesting-colony of this fine new Tern is one of the host of Mr. Williams's unique series. 



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