A. JE. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 679 



old birds. This date is quite contrary to the time of breeding of 

 the cahow, but agrees well with the time of breeding of this shear- 

 water in the Bahamas. Whether the pimlico still breeds here in small 

 numbers, on the small uninhabited islands, is uncertain. We did not 

 see it in 1898, nor in 1901. 



Dr. Henry Bryant* gave a good account of the breeding habits of 

 this bird on the Bahamas, in 1859. The following is his description 

 of a freshly taken adult bird : 



"All the upper parts, wings, and tail, sooty brown; below, white; the 

 boundaries of the colors not abruptly marked ; bill bluish, with the tips of the 

 mandibles black ; this latter color running up the culmen to the forehead- 

 Tarsi and feet pale flesh-color, with the posterior edge of the tarsus, the whole 

 sole, and the upper and outer surface of the outer toe, running obliquely back- 

 ward at the tarsal extremity to the hind part of the tarsus, black." 



Length .344 .340 



Length to end of claws — .350 .345 



Length to end of wings .497 .480 



Extent .690 .666 



Wing from flexure 217 .205 



Tarsus 037 .036 



Middle toe .041 .038 



Bill along ridge 035 .036 



Gape .0445 .044 



He found them nesting there March 24th ; both sexes incubating 

 in turn. He states that the eggs do not much resemble a hen's egg, 

 for they are highly polished and much more fragile, and vary a good 

 deal, both in size and form. The' old birds are never seen to enter 

 their holes in the daytime, but may be seen feeding in flocks at sea. 



e. — The Tropic Bird. 



Tropic Bird ; Long-tail ; Boatswain Bird. {Phaeton flavirostris Br.) 



See p. 428. 



Plate LXXII ; Figure 1 . 



This graceful bird was mentioned by some of the early writers, 

 particularly by Governor Butler, in 1619, whose account was copied 

 nearly verbatim by Capt. John Smith, and published by him in 

 1624. Gov. Butler's account is as follows : 



" Some few other kindes of foule ther are also, which are unknowen 

 in our partes ; as the tropick birde, which is as large as a pullett, in 

 coulour white, with one only very long feather in the tayle, and hath 



* Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. History, vii, p. 132. 



