FREGATA. 207 



"Adult female. — Feathers of head less elongate than in the male and 

 with little or no gloss; upper hack and scapulars slightly elongate and 

 almost devoid of metallic gloss; hack of head dark ])rown ; fore neck, 

 chest, hreast, and sides of belly pure white ; lesser and median wing-coverts 

 brown, with paler margins and dark middles ; rest of plumage like that of 

 adult male. Iris dark brown; bill bluish horn-color; orbits and gular 

 skin dark plumbeous, with a tinge of violet; feet carmine. Length, 582 

 to 678; tail, 373 to 483; tarsus, 25. 



"Male and feinaJe iininature. — Head, neck, upper part of chest, and 

 middle of lower breast and belly, white; sides and upper breast dark 

 sooty brown; rest of plumage like adult female. Iris dull dark blue; 

 naked skin on throat lavender, bill horn-color, darker at base; feet pale 

 pinkish blue." (Grant.) 



"The eggs of the great frigate bird measure from 59 to 72 mm. in 

 length and from 42 to 51 in breadth." (Oates.) The eggs are white 

 and covered with more or less chalk-like substance. 



The frigate pelicans are preeminently soaring birds of wonderful 

 power. In these Islands they are rarely seen, and far more rarely killed, 

 as they usually fly at great heights. During the nesting season they 

 are fearless and may be observed near at hand. The larger species, at 

 least, may nesf on some of the more remote and rocky islands of this 

 Archipelago. 



171. FREGATA ARIEL (Oouldi. 



LESSER MAN-O'-WAR BIRD. 



Attagcii arid Gould, in Gray's Genera Birds (1S43), 3, (i()!). 



Fregaia ariel Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Miis. (1898), 26, 447; Blanford. 

 Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, .338, fig. 77 (head); Sharpe, Hand- 

 List (1899), 1, 237; 0.\tes, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 213; Mc- 

 Gregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1900), 40. 



Fref/atft iiii)ior (not Prlecnnvs minor Gmelix) Sharpe, Ibis (1888), 204; 

 (^KAXT, ll)is ( lS!t(>), 128. 



Con-pi-sdo'. Bantayaii. 



Bantayan { Mcdrcu/or) ; Cagayanc-illo { Mcdrcf/or) : I.uzon i Whitehead) : Min- 

 danao {lioiinis cO W'oree.ster) ; Xegros {Hoitrus d- Worcester) : Palawan {White- 

 head). 'l'ro]»it"il and subtropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. 



"Adult iiifilc. — (iciicral color black, inclining to sooty black on under 

 parts; featluM-s of bead. ii]»|icr l)aik, and scapulars elongate and pointed, 

 the former witb a dull oil-grccn gloss, the latter dark metal lic--green in 

 fresbly molted specimens, but becoming bronze or pui'])lc witb wear; a 

 large wbitc patcli on I'adi llaidc. Tail composed of 12 feathers. Iris 

 black; naked skin rouiul (ye and gular i)ouch red; bill gray; feet black. 

 Length, about "(id; culnu'u fi-om feathers on forehead. 5<S to 89; wing, 

 487 to 533; tail, 279 to 338; tarsus, 19. 



"Adult female. — Head like tluit of the male, but feathers of the back 

 and scapulars less elongate and of a brownish black color with scarcely 



