THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
In the Austr. Mus. Mem.y no. 2, on Lord Howe Island, 1889, Etheridge 
noted (p. 16) : “ The Tropic Birds are represented at Lord Howe by Phaeton 
phoenicurus Gould, known as the Red-tailed Tropic or Boatswain Bird. We 
observed them on the west side of Mount Ledgbird and on the seaward 
precipitous face of the North Ridge. It is a remarkably shy and difficult 
bird to obtain.” On p. 17 it is included with a footnote : “ Seen, but not 
captured.” On p. 47 North, under the name Phaeton Tuhricauda, wrote : “ This 
bird is found breeding during November and December; its single egg 
is laid under the shelter of projecting ledges of almost inaccessible rocks, 
on the face of cliffs, and are consequently very difficult to procure,” 
and he then described the eggs. 
Hull, in the Proceedings Linn. Soc. N.S.W.y Vol. XXXIV., 1909, p. 672, 
used the name Phaethon eruhescens, observing: “ This variety of the Tropic 
Bird is distinguished by a rosy tinge, which fades from the feathers unless 
kept from the light. It breeds in considerable numbers on the almost 
inaccessible cliffs of both groups (Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands). On the 
occasion of my visit to Phillip Island (3rd November, 1908) the birds 
were commencing to select their nesting-places. From the top of the Peak 
I looked down a sheer cliff, 900 feet to the ocean, and saw these magnificent 
birds in hundreds sailing and wheeling about in their stately manner, with 
the scarlet tail-feathers streaming behind their glossy white bodies, while 
they filled the air with their cry of ‘Honk, Honk,’ resembling that of the 
Solan Goose. A few birds were sitting in the crevices in pairs. Mr. Lindsay 
Buffett informed me that on Phillip Island this bird lays one egg only on 
a ledge, in a crevice, or on the sand under an overhanging boulder, from 
the base to the top of the cliff. It is possible to reach some of the eggs by 
standing up in a boat brought in to the base of the cfiff in very calm weather. 
Very few birds breed on Nepean Island and the smaller rocky islets. On 
Lord Howe Island it breeds on the cliffs of the main island. The breeding- 
season at both groups extends from the end of November to the end of 
January.” 
The following notes refer to typical eruhescens of Rothschild, and I 
would observe that specimens from the Kermadecs are ruddier than from 
any other locality and can be separated at sight by means of the coloration 
alone. There is no doubt that the coloration of this form is retained even 
without the extraordinary precautions necessary to keep the fugitive colour 
seen in every other subspecies, and it may be that the Kermadec form may 
be eventually clearly defined as a distinct subspecies. 
“ The Red-tailed Tropic Bird from the Kermadecs has been previously 
recorded under the specific title of ruhricauda Bodd. Rothschild has 
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