756 



THE TROPIC BIRD. 



the Caspian Teen (Sterjin Caspia), a fine species, twenty inches long ; the Roseate Teen 

 (Sterna paradisea), remarkable for the rosy white hue of its under surface; and several 

 other species, all resembling each other in habits and general form. 



We now arrive at the last family of birds, the Pelicans, a group which includes many 

 species, all remarkable for some peculiaiity, and many of them reaUy fine and liandsome birds. 



As its name implies, the Tropic Bird is seldom to be seen outside the tropics unless 

 driven by storms. It is wonderfully powerful on the wing, being able to soar for a 

 considerable period, and passing whole days in the air without needing to settle. It is a 

 beautiful and delicately graceful bird, and always calls forth the admiration of the 

 beholders, as it hovers above the vessel or darts into the water in pursuit of prey. AVhile 

 on the wing it utters a loud, shrill, and grating cry, whicli often indicates its presence at 



TKOPIC BIRB.—Phdiiton a-lhi.ras. 



night as well as by day. On account of this shrill cry, the sailors call it the Boatswain 

 Bird. They also call it by the name of Startail, on account of the long projecting tail- 

 feathers. 



As a general fact they do not fly to very great distances from land, three hundred 

 miles being about the usual limit ; biit Dr. Bennett observed thcni on one occasion wlieu 

 the nearest land was about one thousand miles di.stant. The long tail-shafts of the Tropic 

 Bird are much valued in many lands, the natives wearing them as ornaments, or wea^'ing 

 them into various implements. The feathers of a closely allied species, the Roseate 

 Teopic Bird (Phaeton plcenicurus), are used in the South Seas for various purposes, and are 

 obtained by visiting the birds during the time of incubation, when they sit closely in their 

 nests, and quietly plucking out the coveted plume. Dr. Bennett observes, " The 'red cnps' 

 mentioned by Captain Cook as Avorn by the natives of the Friendly Islands are formed 

 prnici])ally from these red shafts, and I observed the same use of them in the island of 

 Rotunia, South Pacific Ocean, the caps (named shoul, or war head-dress of the natives of 

 that island, and worn as a decoration by warriors in battle) being formed from the red tail- 

 f eath(>rs of the Roseate Tropic Bird, which the natives procure with some ditficulty, and they 

 are consequently very highly valued. The cap is in the form of a semicircle, without any 

 crown, and is tied on the forehead. I have also seen many neat baskets in which the red 

 shafts of this bird had been very ingeniously interwoven ; they were exposed for sale at tlie 

 Sandwich Islands, and even stated to be brought from some part of the coast of California" 



