FRIGATE-BIRD 293 
Australia, while the rest are natives of various islands from Lom- 
bock to New Caledonia. With their stout bill, mostly surmounted 
by a horny excrescence, and their head and 
neck frequently bare of feathers and black, 
these birds seem to be the most abnormal 
forms of the Family Meliphagide. The com- 
monest species in Australia, which is found 
from Rockingham Bay to Victoria, is, accord- 
ing to Gould (Handb. B. Austral. i. p. 546), 
generally dispersed, and may be seen perching on the top of high 
trees, or clinging to their branches in every variety of attitude, 
being also of ‘powerful flight, and attacking boldly every predatory 
bird that may approach. Its loud cries have given it the additional 
names of “Poor Soldier,” “ Pimlico,” and Four. o'clock,” which 
words they are thought to resemble, while its naked head and 
neck have also suggested those of “Monk” and ‘“ Leather-head.” 
The other species seem to have similar habits, and the plumage of 
all is of an almost uniform drab colour, though the young exhibit 
more or less of a yellow tinge on some parts of it. Several of 
them, however, have the head feathered. 
FRIGATE-BIRD, the name apparently first printed by Albin 
in 1739-40 (Nat. Hist. B. iii. p. 75), but now commonly given by 
our sailors, on account of the swiftness of its flight, its habit of 
cruising about near other species and of daringly pursuing them, to 
a large Sea-bird‘—the Fregata aquila of most ornithologists—the 
Frégate of French and the Labihorcado of Spanish mariners. It was 
placed by Linneus in the genus Pelecanus, and its assignment to 
the Family Pelecanide was never doubted until Prof. Mivart declared 
(Trans. Zool. Soc. x. p. 364) that, as regards the postcranial part of 
its axial skeleton, he cannot detect sufficiently good. ¢ pears to 
unite it with that Family in the group named by t 
STEGANOPODES. There seems to be no ground for disputing this 
decision so far as separating the genus Pregata from the Pelecanidx 
goes; but systematists will probably pause before they proceed 
to abolish the Steganopodes, and no doubt the Frigate -Birds 
form a distinct Family, Fregatidx, in that group. In one very 
remarkable way the osteology of Fregata differs from that of all 
other birds known. The furcula coalesces firmly at its symphysis 
with the carina of the sternum, and also with the coracoids at the 
upper extremity of each of its rami, the anterior end of each cora- 
coid coalescing also with the proximal end of the scapula. Thus 
the only articulations in the whole sternal apparatus are where the 
PHILEMON, 
(After Swainson.) 
1 “‘ Man-of-war-Bird” is also sometimes applied to it, and though an older it 
is a less distinctive name, some of the larger kinds of Albatros being so called, 
while, in books at least, it has generally passed out of use. 
