PELICANIDM. 45 



toes, which are very sUghtly webbed, and armed with ridiculously small claws. The thin 

 curved albatross-like bill and long spreading forked tail are also common to both sexes. 

 The rest of the female's plumage is a dusky-brown. The young immature bird of Ijoth 

 sexes has the head white, and the baby is an utterly shapeless mass of yellowish down. 



Excellent specimens of all these did Mr. Salvin show me. The first three are in the 

 Natural History Museum under the name of Frcgeta aquilus. 



Wilson, in 'American Ornithology,' says the Frigate-bird is not uncommon during 

 summer on the coast of the United States as far south as Carolina. 



In the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' for 1880 (p. 163), Mr. Saunders 

 describes two specimens obtained in Lord Lindsay's expedition : — " Both females in 

 immature plumage, passing into the adult stage. As this plumage is rarely met with 

 and is little known, it is as well to describe it. The wings, back, and tail are black, 

 with a bar of old brown light-edged feathers along the upper wing-coverts ; belly white ; 

 flanks and under wing-coverts black; shoulders rusty black, passing into chesnut, which 

 pervades the throat; neck, nape, and crown of head white, slightly tinged with rust; bill 

 horn-white." He also writes concerning this bird, on the same expedition : — " Off Island 

 of Trinidad, South Atlantic, Aug. 20, lat. 20" 23' S., long. 29° 43' W. Temperature of air 

 77° Fahr. and of water 71°. Large numbers seen ; some deep black, with scarlet pouch 

 under the throat. Found them sitting on the island." 



The black birds with scarlet pouch were, of course, the males. Mr. 0. Salvin says 

 it swarms in the Bay of Panama, and breeds in vast numbers on Pajaros Island, in 

 the Gulf of Fonseca. 



Small Frigate-bird {Tachijpck's minor). — I never remember seeing this smaller Frigate- 

 bird on the voyage to Australia, but it is very common all along the northern shores 

 of that great island. In shape and colouring both sexes resemble Tachijpctes aqnilus, only 

 on a somewhat smaller scale. Its habits are also identical. Gould, in 'Birds of Australia' 

 (vol. ii. p. 499), has the following: — 



" Attageu arid (Gould, 'Birds of Australia,' vol. vii. pi. 72). — This species of Tachypetes, 

 which is considered to be the old Felccanus minor of Gmelin, is rather abundantly dispersed 

 over the seas washing the shores of the tropical parts of the Australian continent, particularly 

 those of Torres Straits. 



"The late Commander Ince, R.N., who during the surveying voyage of H.M.S. 'Fly,' 

 was for some time stationed on Eaine's Islet^ superintending the erection of a beacon, 

 informed me that on his landing on this small island, which is situate in lat. 12" S., at 



