Order PELEGANIFOBMES 
No. 288. 
Family PHASTHONTID^. 
SOiEOPHiETHON RUBRICAUDA WESTRALIS. 
WESTRALIAN KED-TAILED TROPIC BIRD. 
(Plate 231.)* 
Ph^thon eitbeioafda westealis Mathews, Austral Avian Record, Vol. I., p. 88, 1912 ; 
Rottnest Island, West Australia. 
Phaeton ruhricauda Carter, Emu, Vol. III., p. 211, 1904. 
Phcethon rvbrimuda ib., Vol. X., p. 265, 1911. 
Phmthon rubricaudus rubricaudus Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 243, 1912. 
Phcethon rubricauda westralis Mathews, Austral Avian Record, Vol. I., p. 88, 1912. 
SccEophcBthon rubricauda westralis Mathews, list Birds Austr., p. 100, 1913. 
Disteibution. Western Australia. (Extra Hmital). 
Adult nude. General colour both above and below silky white with a pinky hue; the 
feathers on the crown and nape have dark bases ; a black patch in front and 
behind the eye ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, greater coverts and quills white 
tinged vsdth pink, all the feathers having conspicuously black shafts ; some of the 
innermost secondaries black broadly margined with white ; the long flank-feathers 
white, lead grey on the inner portion of the outer webs, and those on the sides 
of the rump grey, broadly margined with white ; tail-feathers pinky-white with 
black shafts becoming red on the elongated middle feathers. Bill orange-red, 
nostrils brown ; feet and upper part of legs faint blue, rest black. Total length 
520 mm. ; culmen 67, wing 343, tail 92, middle feathers 442, tarsus 32. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Nest. A depression on the ground. 
Eggs. Clutch, one or two ; similar to those of S. r. novcehollandice. Axis 63 mm. ; 
diameter 48 (White). 
Breeding-season. October to February. 
The occurrence of a Red-tailed Tropic Bird in Western Australia seems to 
have been first noticed by Campbell who, in his Nests and Eggs of Australian 
Birds, Vol. II., p. 994, 1901, included in the geographical distribution of 
Phcethon rubricauda : “ Seas of West and North-west Australia,” and added 
on p. 995 — 
“ From the other side of the Continent Mr. G. K. Beddoes writes : 
‘ Found Tropic Bird nesting on Pelsart Island (Abrolhos) ; month, February ; 
* The Plate is lettered PhoBthon westralis. 
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