RUDDY TROPIC BIRD. 
on a pale reddish-grey ground, and are two inches and three-eighths long 
by one inch four eighths and a half broad. The contents of the stomach 
consisted of the beaks of cuttle-fish. The only outward sexual difference that 
I could detect consists in the more decided roseate blush upon the plumage 
of the male, especially on the back, but this varies slightly in intensity in 
different individuals of the same sex and fades considerably in a preserved 
skin.” 
In the Emu, Vol. XIII., p. 148, 1914, Macgillivray the younger recorded : 
“ When Dr. Dobbyn and I paid our very brief visit to Raine Island in 
October, 1910, we must have overlooked the caves in which these birds are 
in the habit of nesting. Mr. M’Lennan’s notes are as follows : ‘ 9th July, 
1911. — Had a look for Tropic-Birds under the ledges of rock and found three 
nests. The first contained a half-grown young bird, the second one egg, the 
nest being a shallow depression in the sand 4 feet under the rock ; the third 
contained one small young bird not long hatched. 10th July, 1911. — 
Examined all the holes and caves round the edge of the island. The first 
containing a Tropic-Bird’s nest with one egg was at the back of a fair-sized 
cave, 20 feet long, 12 feet broad, and 4 feet high. The opening of the cave 
was 9 feet across by 18 inches high. Another nest under a small ledge of 
rock contained one small young bird. Did not find any more. Crawling 
into the caves was not exactly a pleasant game. The air in some of them 
was very foul, and a match would only just burn in it, and as a rule one 
or two Pectoral Rails would be found in each. As I crawled into them the 
Rails would make a dash out, and two of them gave me such a start by 
striking me in the face that I tried to stick my head through the several 
feet of coral rock that formed the roof of the cave. Found another nest in 
a cave in the centre of the island. The bird was sitting on it, but had 
not yet laid. This bird deserted the nest without laying. 15th July, 1911. — 
Went round the caves again, and found another Tropic-Bird’s nest containing 
an egg. Saw one of these birds flying round the island : it had two long 
tail-feathers. When on the ground these birds cannot walk — ^they can only 
shuffle along. When on the wing the feet are kept out at a slight angle from 
the body with fully outspread webs, and are very conspicuous. 27th July, 
1911. — ^No Tropic-Birds at Bramble Cay.’ ” 
The succeeding notes refer to the birds breeding in the Kermadecs, Lord 
Howe and Norfolk Islands. 
Crowfoot, in the Ihis 1885, p. 268, and Cheeseman, Trans. New Zeal. 
Inst., Vol. XXIII., 1890, p. 223, 1891, gave brief notes, mainly descriptions 
of the eggs. 
VOL. IV. 
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