y capture by
darting down upon, and upon snails which they get from the beach and
ledges. They build their nests in the crevices and along the ledges of
the rocky cliffs. While gregarious to a certain extent they are not
nearly as much so as the Terns. The nest is made of a mass of seaweed
and weeds; but one egg is laid, this being of a creamy or pale purplish
ground color, dotted and sprinkled with chestnut, so thickly as to often
obscure the ground color. Size 2.10 x 1.45. Data.--Coney Is., Bermudas,
May 1, 1901. Nest made of moss and seaweed in a crevice on ledge of
cliff. Collector, A. H. Verrill.

[Illustration 074: Dull purplish.]
[Illustration: Yellow-billed Tropic Bird. Red-billed Tropic Bird.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]

Page 73

113. RED-BILLED TROPIC BIRD. _Phaethon aethereus._

Range.--Tropical seas, chiefly in the Pacific Ocean; north to southern
California.

They breed on several islands in the Gulf of California. This species
differs from the preceding in having a red bill, and the back being
barred with black. Their plumage has a peculiar satiny appearance and is
quite dazzling when viewed in the sunlight. They are strong fliers and
are met with, hundreds of miles from land. They often rest upon the
water, elevating their long tails to keep them from getting wet. They
nest, as do the preceding species, on rocky islands and are said to also
build their nests in trees or upon the ground. The single egg that they
lay has a creamy ground and is minutely dotted with chestnut. Size 2.40
x 1.55. Data.--Daphone Is., Galapagos Is., South Pacific, March 6, 1901.
Egg laid in hole of a sea cliff. The eggs are easily told from those of
the yellow-billed by their much larger size. Collector, R. H. Beck.

113.1 RED-TAILED TROPIC BIRD. _Phaethon rubricaudus._

Range.--Tropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, accidental
off the coast of Lower California.

This is a singularly beautiful species resembling the latter except that
the central tail feathers are bright red, with the extreme tips white.
During August and September they breed in large colonies on small
islands in the South Seas. On Mauritius Island they build their nests
either in the trees or place them on the ground; the nest is made of
seaweed, sticks and weeds; numbers of them nest on Laysan Is., of the
Hawaiian group, concealing their nests on the ground under overhanging
brush.

The single egg has a pal