Recoitlij published Orniffioloi/ical ll'orks. 5-11 



56. Chapman on the Botihy and Man-of-War Birds. 



[A Contribution to the Life-histories of the Booby {Sula leucogastra) 

 and the Man-of-VVar Bird {Fregata aquila). By Frank M. Chapman. 

 Extr. from Publ. 103, Carnegie Inst, of NN'ashington, pp. 139-151 (1908).] 



Mr. Chapman left Nassau, Bahamas, on March 31st, 1907, 

 by the ' Physalia,^ for Cay Verde, about 230 miles to the 

 south-east, in order to procure " specimens, accessories, 

 photographs and other data " to be used in preparing 

 " habitat groups " of the Booby and Man-of-War Bird for the 

 American Museum of Natural History at New York. 

 Owing to unforeseen delays only three days and nights could 

 be passed on Cay Verde; but so little has yet been recorded 

 of the breeding-habits in the Bahamas of the two birds iu 

 question that it was thought that what was observed, even 

 in this short period, would be worthy of description. 



After an account of the exact situation and size of the 

 little Cay, which lies on the eastern edge of the Columbus 

 Bank, thirty miles east of Little Ragged Island, the author 

 describes its bird-life, which consists mainly of numerous 

 migrants on passage. No Land-birds appear to be resident. 

 He then proceeds to his main subject — the Boobies and the 

 Frigate-birds. It was estimated that about 1500 pairs of 

 the former species and from 200 to 300 of the latter were 

 nesting on Cny Verde. Of both the species most of the 

 nests contained half-grown young, but none held fresh eggs, 

 while a few birds of the year were already on the wing. The 

 eggs of the Boobies were deposited in slight hollows on the 

 ground, without any attempt at a nest, but the i\lan-of-\Yar 

 Birds placed their slight nests, made of twigs and sticks, in 

 the tops of the sea-grapes at a height of six or seven feet, or 

 among the cactuses within two feet of the earth. 



The paper is well illustrated by photographs. It is pointed 

 out that Cay Verde from its position and isolation would be 

 an "admirable station^'' for the study of the migration of 

 birds in that part of the world. To this we heartily agree 

 and may add that there is still much to be done by an active 

 ornithologist in the Bahamas, where the winter-climate is 

 perfect and to which access is easy. 



