PASSENGER TURTLE 187 



before they leave the nest, or are left by their pa- 

 rents to seek their own food, are loaded with fat. 

 This is frequently melted down in large quantities 

 for culinary purposes, by those who are near enough 

 to profit by the plunder of a breeding station of this 

 remarkable bird. 



The form of the Passenger Turtle is graceful and 

 elegant. The wings are long and acuminate, having 

 the second quill-feather exceeding the others in 

 length. The tail is greatly cuneiform or graduated, 

 and consists of twelve tapering feathers. The bill is 

 of a black colour, and similar in form to that of the 

 turtle, and the legs, which are purplish-red, are short 

 and strong. The iris is of a bright orange-red, the 

 naked orbit purplish-red. The head and cheeks are 

 pale bluish-grey, the fore-neck, the breast, and sides 

 of a brownish-red, with a purplish tinge. The ab- 

 domen and vent are white. The lower part and 

 sides of the neck are of a purplish-crimson, reflect- 

 ing tints of emerald green and gold. The upper 

 plumage is of a deep bluish-grey, some of the scapu- 

 lars and wing-coverts spotted with black. The greater 

 coverts are grey, tipped with white. The quills are 

 blackish-grey, with their exterior webs bluish- grey. 

 Tail, with the two middle feathers, entirely black, 

 the other five on each side grey at the base, with a 

 black bar on the interior arch, and passing into white 

 towards the extremities. The female is rather in- 

 ferior in size, and has the colours of her plumage 



