492 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1911. 



I did not observe tame frigate birds elsewhere in Polynesia, but Mr. Louis 

 Becke, who is familiar with most of the South Sea Islands, says they were used 

 as letter carriers on the Samoan Islands when he was there in 18S2, carrying 

 messages between islands 60 to 80 miles apart. When he lived on Nanomaga, 

 one of these islands, he exchanged two tame frigate-birds with a trader living 

 on Nuitao, 60 miles distant, for a tame pair reared on that island. 



The four birds at liberty frequently passed from one island to the other 

 on their own account, all going together on visits to each other's homes, where 

 they were fed by the natives on their old perches. Mr. Becke's pair usually 

 returned to him within 24 to 36 hours. He tested the speed of the frigate 

 by sending one of his birds by vessel to Nuitao where it was liberated with a 

 message at half past 4 in the afternoon. Before 6 o'clock of the same day the 

 bird was back on its own perch at Nanomaga, accompanied by two of the 

 NHiitaoi birds, which not being at their perch on that island when it was 

 liberated, it had evidently picked up en route. Sixty miles in an hour and a 

 half is probably easy enough for the frigate bird, as in Malayo-Polynesia it is 

 said to have frequently returned a distance of 60 miles in one hour. 



It becomes entirely tame and familiar when raised from the nest, and if 

 given liberty returns regularly to its home perch at night. 



THE BOOBIES {Sulu leucogastris) and (Sula sula). 



Both the booby and tlie red-footed booby are found in the Tortti- 

 gas, the first usually predominant. They do not breed here at the 

 present time, having probably been exterminated by the fishermen 

 and eggers, who are said to have been particularly fond of the flesh of 

 the young birds. I have never seen them on any of the islands dur- 

 ing my six annual visits, but have always found them seated upon 

 the top or crossbar of the channel stakes. They are usually quite shy ; 

 so much so that it is very difficult to approach them sufficiently close 

 to secure a photograph. This summer, however, we found a booby 

 willing to pose, and a number of rather satisfactory pictures were se- 

 cured, some of which are assembled on plate 38. 



Audubon, in volume 3 of his Ornithological Biographies, gives a 

 graphic account of a breeding colony of boobies on the Tortugas. 

 From his description one is almost tempted to believe that in the 

 early part of the past century both the white-bellied and red-footed 

 boobies resorted to these islands for housekeeping, for his description 

 of Booby Island, probably North Key, which has since disappeared, 

 would fit the requirements for a nesting site of the booby, as it agrees 

 well with the character of the nest requirements now used by this 

 species in Cay Verde, Bahamas, the nearest breeding colony. The de- 

 scription of the breeding birds on Noddy Key, probably Bush Key of 

 our charts, would indicate the red-footed booby as far as habits are 

 concerned. The nearest place where this species is known to breed 

 at present, is Cayman Brae, about 120 miles off south central Cuba. 



We will now quote from Audubon's observations of the booby 

 colony at the Tortugas: 



