120 G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. !~Apr 



Islands, we saw but few throughout our trip among the northern islands. 

 Two were observed on July 6, among the Marls of Great Abaco, and again, 

 on July ii, we sailed up very near to a single bird as it sat sedately on one 

 of the small rocky islets of the Pensacola Cays. 



15. Fregata aquila (Linn.). Man-o'-war Bird. — These birds are 

 common throughout the islands but we found no nests and rarely saw 

 many together save at their roosts. Two large roosts were visited. One 

 of these, at Great Abaco, was a large isolated clump of mangroves rising 

 from the shallow waters of the "bight "to the south of Marsh Harbor. 

 Thither the birds began to repair some hours before sunset, but evi- 

 dently did not settle down till towards nightfall. As we passed this roost, 

 locally known as "Man-o'-war Bush," at about daybreak of July 6, some 

 fifty or more birds flew off and scattered in all directions. The other 

 roost mentioned was at Fish Cays, Great Abaco. Some of our crew vis- 

 ited this roost after dark on July 5, and captured ten birds alive among 

 the big mangroves. These were of both sexes, and two which we kept 

 alive aboard our schooner became fairly tame. Though thej' had the lib- 

 erty of the ship, they seemed unwilling or unable to fly away, but perched 

 contentedly on the anchor chains or about the capstan, and ate greedily 

 of the fresh fish we gave them. They were rather ill-tempered, however, 

 and were quick to take offence if crowded or jostled. With their sharp 

 beaks they would lay hold of passers-by or of one another, and could 

 inflict a considerable wound. One of the birds eventually perished, but 

 the other stayed by us throughout most of our trip. When finally we 

 reached Great Abaco on our return voyage, we tossed him into the air, 

 and he shook himself together with a curious motion and sailed away out 

 of sight. 



16. Pcecilonetta bahamensis (Linn.). Bahama Duck. — On the south 

 side of Great Abaco, stretching for many miles east and west, is a tide- 

 water region locally known as "the Marls." Long reaches of shallow 

 water alternate with clayey flats a few inches above tide level. These flats 

 are thinly covered with a growth of small mangroves, grasses, and a few 

 other halophytes while here and there are little pools surrounded by taller 

 mangrove bushes. In this sort of country we found a good number of 

 these handsome ducks. Most of those seen were in pairs, but one flock of 

 fifteen birds was started from a small pond among the mangroves, July 6. 

 Cory found them breeding at Andros about the last of May. 



17. Phcenicopterus ruber (Linn.). Flamingo; "Fillymingo." — Mr. 

 Bonhote 1 states that he was unable to ascertain certainly whether the 

 Flamingo still exists on Great Abaco, but we were more fortunate. So 

 far as we could learn from exploration and inquiry there is but a single 

 colony of these gorgeous birds among the northern Bahamas. This 

 colony inhabits the great "Marls" of Abaco, but for the past two years 



1 Bonhote : Ibis, Ser. 8, Vol. Ill, 1903, p. 310. 



