RUDDY TROPIC BIRD. 
separated a bird under the name eruhescens, and this is the bird that bred 
on the Kermadec group. A striking characteristic is the bright pink colora- 
tion of the upper and lower parts, which in rubricauda are snowy white. As 
the bird floated in the sunshine the pink gleam was very lovely, and to some 
degree its loveliness compensated for the harsh nature of its cries. The long 
red tail-feathers seem to be the delight of its life ; it passes most of its time 
in displaying these to the best advantage to its neighbour, who, in turn, 
endeavours to surpass it, each accompanying its evolutions with hoarse cries. 
The bird even moults these feathers one at a time, and is consequently never 
without one. If, when sitting, it is approached, and both tail-feathers are 
pulled out, it will sulk until the feathers have grown. It is a most erratic 
breeder, but I was unable to observe the time of incubation. On 4th 
January eggs were fresh as weU as hard-set, whilst one young one was already 
hatched. A young bird, fuUy feathered, was picked up on the beach the 
first week of April, and then in the last week fresh eggs were seen. I do not 
think the young would have been reared even if they were hatched out of 
these eggs. No birds were noted during June or July, but the beginning 
of August once more saw them back in their stations. The birds nested 
on grassy ledges on the sea-cliffs all round the coast. The down of the 
young varied from pale dove-grey to pure white.” (Iredale, Emu, Vol. X., 
p. 10, 1910.) 
Later, using the name Phcethon rubricauda novmhollandimf Iredale 
commented ; “ The subspecies is well differentiated by its larger size and 
brighter coloration.” 
The first record of this species as Australian appears to be when Latham 
m the General History of Birds, Vol. X., p. 448, 1824, described the New 
Holland Tropic Bird. 
“ New Holland Tropic Bird. 
“ In a collection of drawings from New Holland is a black-biUed one, said 
to be a young Tropic Bird, but without any elongated tail-feathers: length 
to the end of the tail eighteen inches. This corresponds with our second as 
to plumage, but differs in having the legs yellow instead of black, and no 
markings of black whatever on the thighs or under-parts, and the inner 
coverts of the wings only spotted with black, but the quills have a sagittated 
dash of black ; at the end of each is a streak of black, continued from the 
black web ; the tail-feathers are also crossed with three or four bars of black. 
A specimen of this last has not yet been seen here, but from every appearance 
it is most probably a distinct species.” To this description Brandt gave the 
name Phcethon novcehollandioe. 
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