6 Cory on a Nczv Vireo from Grand Cayman, W. I. [January 



do see serious objections to the theory that sea birds regu- 

 larly rest upon the water at night, in the long and heavy gales so 

 prevalent off Cape Horn, which would seem to make such a pro- 

 ceeding a physical impossibility. And how is it with the little 

 Stormy Petrels which have apparently a constitutional aversion 

 to sitting in the water? 



It is doubtful if the Albatross habitually follows any one vessel 

 for a considerable length of time, while the reverse is probably 

 true of the Cape Pigeon. While the amount of 'pickings' from 

 a single ship would make quite an item in the daily fare of several 

 Cape Pigeons, they would count for little with one Albatross. This 

 latter bird is much given to making vast stretches back and forth 

 over the ocean, and even while near a ship continually circles 

 round about in search of food. That an Albatross can see a 

 vessel distinctly from an elevation of a thousand feet is doubtless 

 true, but judging from my own experience this bird rarely 

 ascends to such a height, for I never observed it more than two 

 or three hundred feet above the ocean. Is it not more probable 

 that the bird meets with vessels while quartering over the ground 

 as just described and stays by them until drawn off in search of 

 food? Contrary to what might be supposed, it is during calms 

 that birds become detached from the ship they may have been 

 following. At such times the Albatross is especially given to 

 resting upon the water, from which it cannot then rise without 

 much flapping of wings and splashing of water as it runs along 

 the surface until it has acquired the necessary momentum to 

 start upon its customary graceful flight. The smaller birds 

 follow the example of their larger relatives, and, scattered here 

 and there by twos and threes, alternately quarrel and preen 

 their plumage until the breeze springs up. and with it everything 

 once more starts into renewed activity. 



A NEW VIREO FROM GRAND CAYMAN, WEST 



INDIES. 



BY CHARLES B. CORY. 



The box of birds lately received from Grand Cayman, or 

 Great Cayman, contained still another new bird from that most 

 interesting island, which I propose to call 



