SULA FUS CA Briss.

Brown Gannet.

Sula fusca, Briss. Orn., tom. vi. p. 499. tab. 43. fig. 1—Id. 8vo, tom. ii. p. 491.—Vieill. Gal. des Ois., tom. ii.
pl. 277.—Bonap. Syn. Birds of Am., p. 408.—Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 500.—Aud. Birds of Am. vol. i.
pl. 207 ; Orn. Bio., vol. iii. p. 63; Syn. Birds of Am., p. 310.—Bonap. List of Eur. and Am. Birds,
OO:

Brown Booby, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. vi. p. 613.—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. x. p. 441.

Sula Brasiliensis, Spix, Av. Sp. Nov., tom. ii. tab. cv. p. 84.

Sula fiber, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part ii. p. 183.

Pelecanus fiber, Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 218.—Gmel. Edit. Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. 1. p. 579. hat, ind, Orn,
vol. ii. p. 893.—Catesby’s Car., vol. i. pl. 87. p. 87.—Bonn. et Vieill. Ency. Méth. Orn., part 1. p. 48.
joll, UG, stitex. 5

—- Sula, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 218.

——-—\ plotus, Forst. Icon. Ined. 108 ?

Mar-ga, Aborigines of Port Essington.

Booby, of the Colonists.

 

Tue Gannet figured in the accompanying Plate, which may perhaps be identical with the Pelecanus fiber of
Linneus, is abundantly dispersed round the northern shores of the Australian continent ; I have specimens
killed within the harbour at Port Essington, and from Raines Island in Torres’ Straits, where it breeds in
considerable numbers.

The plumage of the two sexes is so precisely similar that it is utterly impossible to distinguish them by
external observation ; it is true that the colouring of the feet, face and other soft parts is not always alike,
but this difference I believe to be the result of age, rather than of a difference in sex ; and if this opinion

be correct, the bright yellow-coloured feet are indicative of the bird being fully adult, and the olive-brown

of its being immature.

In its habits, manners, mode of life, and in the nature of its food, this species resembles the other mem-
bers of the genus.

Head, neck, breast, all the upper surfé
white, separated from the brown of the breast by a sharply defined line ;
blotched before and beneath the eye with bluish ; eyelash light ash-grey ; legs and

ice, wings and tail dark chocolate-brown ; under surface pure
irides very pale yellow ; bill and

orbits primrose-yellow,
feet pale yellow.
The figures represent adult birds rather less than the natural size.

ti hMuallanesudel Line.

ate ened amd Mh Nachder had th ahh,