no Director's Annual Repori. 



Phaethon rubricauda Bodd. Red-tailed Tropic Bird. 



This interesting bird, as the generic name bestowed by Iviunaeus 

 implies, follows the track of the sun throughout the tropics where 

 it is found nesting on almost all of the low bird islands throughout 

 its extensive range. At the island whose avifauna we are consider- 

 ing it was quite abundant, as instanced by one of the Japanese, 

 who, for wanton destruction, killed thirty-five specimens in less than 

 two hours. Though to be met with all over the island, they prefer 

 the deeper shade and more quiet parts for rearing their young. 

 This fun(5lion must occup}' the greater part of their time, judging 

 from the fact that fresh eggs were secured on August 5, while at 

 the same time young of the 3xar were ready to leave the nest. 



The nest is a simple depression in the sand or earth under a 

 log, bush, root, or tilted stone. No lining is added, and never 

 more than one &g^ is laid. Both birds assist in incubation ; often 

 both will be seen on the nest at the same time. They will not leave 

 the egg w^ien disturbed, but, to the discomfort of the intruder, 

 will make a hoarse undescribable clattering noise, lasting several 

 seconds. 



The downy chick when first hatched is one of the most inter- 

 esting little birds I ever saw. The upper parts are colored a fine 

 light smoky gray, the under parts almost pure white. The down 

 is exceedingly long and very fine, forming about the head a hood, 

 suggesting a court wig, out of which the small bead-like eyes peer 

 inquiringly, giving the chick a most dignified expression. The 

 feathers on the wings appear first, and, like the whole upper sur- 

 face, are barred and spotted with black in the first plumage. 



Fish is the principal, and, so far as I know, the only food of 

 both young and old. One young bird I secured gave up three 

 flying-fish from six to seven inches long, together with a quantity 

 of the salmon oil slime elsew^iere referred to. The three fish must 

 have weighed very nearly a pound. If the fat and heav}' condition 

 of the young is any index, the old tropic-birds are experts at fishing. 

 This bird, so easy to capture on the nest, is one of the most difficult 

 to kill that has come under my notice. By the ordinary method of 

 compressing the lungs and heart between the fingers and thumb, 

 ten to twenty minutes must elapse before the bird is dead past re- 

 viving in the collecting bag. The tenacious hold they have on life, 



