442 FREGiXID^. 



Family III. FREGATIDiE. 



Palatines fused at the posterior end only. A large vomer. 

 No nasal hinge. 



Sternum broader than long ; carina extending the whole lenglh 

 of the corpus sterni. Furculum fused dorsaUy with the head of 

 the coracoid, and venti-ally with the carina sterni. ( W. P. Pijcraft.) 



1. FREGATA.* 



Type. 



Fregata, [JBrisson, Orn. vi. p. 500 (1760)]; Lacepede in 

 Buff. Hist. Nat. (18mo, Didot), Quadr. xiv. p. 317 

 (1799) F. aciuila. 



Tacljvpetes, Vieillot, Analyse, pp. 63, 70 (1816) ; id. N. 



TJwt. d'Hist. Nat. xii. p. 141 (1817) F. aquila. 



Fregatta, Ste^yhens in Shaio's Gen. Zool. xiii. pt. i. p. 119 



(1826) F. aquila. 



Attagen, Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 170 (1829) F. aquila. 



AtiigeQ \_Moehriny, Av. Gen. p. 82, no. 108 (1752)] ; 



G. JR. Gray, List Gen. B. 2nd ed. p. 101 (1841) F. aquila. 



Eill long and strongly hooked at the extremity, both mandibles 

 being curved downward at the tip ; culmen subcylindrical and 

 concave ; lateral grooves deep and dividing into two at the dertrum 

 or nail, the lower branch terminating in a notch on the margin. 

 Nostrils situated in the groove, basal and linear ; a large naked 

 gidar pouch. Wings very long and pointed, the first quiU being 

 considerably the longest. Tail long and deeply forked, composed 

 of 12 feathers. Tarsus very short and feathered; middle toe 

 longest ; web between toes deeply emarginate ; claws long and 

 curved, that on the middle toe pectinate on the inner side. 



Hanye. Inter-tropical seas. 



Key to the Species. 



I. Breast and sides black. (Males.) 



a. Size larger : culmen 3-6-4'4 ; wing 20'5-25'8 ; no 



while patches on the flanks aquila, p. 443, 



b. Size smaller : culmen 2-3-3-5 ; wing 19-2-21-0 ; a 



white patch on each flank ariel, p. 447. 



II. Breast and sides white. [Females.) 



c. Size larger : culmen 4'3-5'2 ; wing 229-26-7 ; no 



white collar round the back of the neck aquila, p. 443. 



d. Size smaller: culmen 3-2-3"6; wing 20'l-20'8; a 



white collar round the back of the neck ariel, p. 447. 



* The following works refer to the osteology, etc., of the genus : — Brandt, 

 M6m. Acad. St. Petersb. (6) v. pt. ii. Livr. ii. pp. 84, 117, 148, 186, pi. ix. 

 (1839) ; Nitzseh, Pteryl., Engl. ed. p. 149 (1867). 



