THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Distribution. North-east and North-west Australia. 
Adult rrmle. Entire upper-parts, throat, fore-neck, and sides of breast chocolate brown, 
somewhat darker and more blackish on the primary-quills ; secondaries white at 
the base of the inner webs ; under wing-coverts chocolate brown except the median 
series which are white ; breast, abdomen, sides of body, axillaries, and under 
tail-coverts pure white. Bill and skin yellow, spot in front of the eye blue ; iris 
silver grey ; feet pale yellow. Total length 710 mm. ; culmen 84, wing 374, tail 
200, tarsus 43. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male but larger. 
Immature and young. As described by Dr. Macgillivray in the text. 
Nest. “ A small hole scratched in sand, sometimes a few pieces of sponge, etc., strewn 
round ” (J. T. Tunny). 
Two eggs (J. T. Tunny). Two eggs (Macgillivray). Bluish-white, covered with 
lime. Axis 53-63 mm., diameter 36-46. 
Breeding-season. July onwards (Macgillivray) to October (?). 
The only observations on record in connection with this bird are again due 
to the investigations of the two Macgillivrays, sixty odd years intervening 
between the records. 
The elder Macgillivray’ s account, printed by Gould, reads : “ This 
species of Booby is generally distributed on the north-east and north coasts 
of New Holland, but I found it breeding only upon Bramble Key, although 
I once, on Raine’s Islet, found a solitary egg. The nest is slovenly made, 
of dried herbage, a foot in diameter, with scarcely any cavity, and contains 
two eggs, of which in every instance one was clean and the other very dirty. 
The eggs, which are white, vary considerably in size. The largest measured 
2 t¥ inches by ItV ; the smallest 2|| by 1^|, and one of average size, 
^2 If inches. Both sexes incubate, and the birds while sitting on 
their eggs allowed of a very near approach, and before flying ofl disgorged 
the contents of their stomachs, chiefly a species of Clupea. I need scarcely 
add that their bite is very severe. Durmg our visit to Darnley Island I 
observed several tame Boobies among the native villages, generally perched 
on the canoes hauled up on the beach. These birds were allowed their full 
liberty, and after fishing in the weirs upon the reefs until they had procured 
a sufiiciency of food, returned to the huts.” 
Nothing further appears to have been written in connection with these 
birds until Dr. Macgillivray made a trip to the same ground as the elder 
Macgillivray had visited. In the meanwhile Tunny had examined a colony 
on Bedout Island, Mid-west Australia, and collected some specimens, but gave 
no account of the habits of the birds. 
The younger Macgillivray’ s observations are given herewith in full : 
Sula leucogaster Macgillivray, Emu^ Vol. X., p. 223, 1910 : “ We sight 
many Brown Gannets, and when we near the most easterly of the banks 
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