AUSTRALIAN MASKED GANNET. 
Adult male. Gteneral colour above and below pure white ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts 
and quills chocolate-brown, somewhat paler on the secondaries ; inner webs of 
primaries hoary or silvery -grey, becoming white on the inner webs of the secondaries 
towards the base ; tail-feathers also chocolate-brown with white shafts. Bill 
light yellowish-horn ; base and skin dull purplish-blue ; iris yellow ; feet blue. 
Total length 840 mm. ; culmen 99, wing 417, tail 177, tarsus 56. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male but larger. Total length 860 mm. ; culmen 105, 
wing 429, tarsus 59. 
Downy young. Pure white in colour (Macgillivray). 
Nest. None (J. T. Tunny). 
Eggs. Almost invariably two in number (Macgillivray). Two eggs (J. T. Tunny), 
bluish-white, covered with lime. Axis 64-69 mm. ; diameter 44-46. 
Breeding-season. July onwards (Macgilhvray) to October (?). 
“ The Masked Gannet, a fine white bird, larger than the other two 
(Brown and Red-legged), with dark pinions and conspicuous pale leaden- 
coloured mask, comes next in numbers to the Brown Gannet, and their 
nests and young are scattered amongst the others promiscuously all over the 
islet. The nests in size, formation and situation differ in no wise from those 
of the Brown bird, being mostly on the ground. The eggs, larger in general 
than those of the Brown, are almost invariably two in number. The nestling 
Masked Gannet is much the same as that of the Brown, except that the 
mask is decidedly darker in colour. The downy young is pure white in 
colour, and, when feathered, a greyish or dirty white, the mask getting lighter 
coloured as the bird matures. The sitting birds of both species allow of a 
close approach, becoming restless and picking up and throwing the sticks 
and shells of the nest from side to side. When closer, they often disgorge 
one or more good-sized fish, then run off the nest with shuffling feet and 
flapping wings till they rise on the wing. This disgorging is not done as a 
means of offence, the fish being given more as an offering to distract the 
attention of an enemy from themselves until escape is possible, or even 
from their young, much in the same way as it is disgorged when the bird is 
buffeted by a Frigate Bird.” * 
In Vol. XIII., p. 148, 1914, Macgillivray added the following : “At the 
time of Mr. McLennan’s visit to Raine Island, on 10th July, 1911, a few of 
these Gannets had selected nesting sites, but none had laid. One egg was 
laid before he left on the 15th July.” 
The preceding seem^ the only field notes recorded in connection with the 
Northern Australian bird, other observations recorded by Hull and Iredale 
for birds from Norfolk, Lord Howe and the Kermadec Islands being referable 
to a different subspecies. 
* Mewjgillivray, Emu, Vol. X., p. 225, 1910 (Raine Island). 
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