234 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 



tern, but the neck is more extended, and the wings are moved 

 incessantly. It flies constantly, not remarkably quick and some- 

 what unsteadily, generally at the height of twenty or thirty ells ; 

 I never saw any of them repose upon the water. Two or three 

 are often seen together, when they appear to chase one another, 

 and utter a shrill cry like tjeck, tjeck. During flight they are 

 wont frequently to turn the head and look behind them, which 

 action is especially characteristic, as one seldom sees it in other 

 birds. They seem to be very inquisitive, and often come near to 

 examine the pennant of the ship. They would fly round it for 

 half an hour, and look at it from every side as though they would 

 bite at it, fly away and return several times, till at last they seemed 

 weary and took themselves ofi". Occasionally they plunged straight 

 down into the water to catch flying-fish, and on two occasions I 

 distinctly saw them come up again with one in their beak. It 

 occurred to me that Tropic-birds may migrate with the sun, for 

 in my outward voyage across the Indian Ocean from November 

 to January, they were seen as far as 26° S. (on Nov. 7), but on 

 my homeward voyage from May to July they were not seen 

 further south than 7° (July 7). Far up in the Bay of Bengal, 

 till within ten or twelve [Swedish] miles from the land, they were 

 seen at both seasons, though they were rare in January and very 

 abundant in May. 



In the Atlantic Ocean I did not see more than two Tropic- 

 birds, and both times at a distance, so that I am not sure what 

 species it was. Several of the crew who had been in Brazil said 

 that they had but seldom seen these birds, and that they are 

 there much larger than those we saw in the Indian Sea. It seems 

 to me highly probable that the small Tropic-bird never occurs in 

 the Atlantic, and the large one but rarely. 



103. Phaeton (sthei^eus, L. The great Tropic-bird in colour 

 resembles the last, but is twice the size, nearly as large as a tame 

 duck, with a rather longer and thicker neck, and the two feathers 

 in the tail only twice as long as the other rectrices (the part which 

 extends beyond the tail seemed about one quarter the length of 

 the bird) . In flight and mode of life it resembled the foregoing 

 species, but was more slow in its motions. I saw it only a few 

 times in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. One was seen 

 in December which wanted the two long tail-feathers. 



In the same region, namely in the southern part of the Bay of 

 Bengal, there was seen occasionally in December a bird which I 

 believe was the young P. cethereus. It resembled it in size, form, 

 flight and voice, but seemed altogether ash-gray, and wanted the 

 two long tail-feathers*. 



• The species here termed eetkereus appears to be the P. phoenicurus, — 

 H. E. S. 



