THE LARGE FRIGATE-BIRD. 227 



Family FREGATID^. 



Genus FREGATA, Briss. 



597. PREGATA AQUILA. 

 THE LARGE FRIGATE-BIRD. 



Pelecanus aquilus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 216. Attagen aquilus, Jerd. B. Ind. 

 ii. p. 853. Fregata aquila, Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 364 ; Hume, S. F. viii. 

 p. 116 ; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 1204. Tachypetes aquila, Sharpe, Rep. Trans. 

 Venus Exped. p. 151 ; Penrose, Ibis, 1879, p. 276. 



Description. Adult. The whole plumage black, the feathers of the head, 

 back and scapulars lanceolate and glossed with purple and lilac. 



Length about 38 inches, tail 19, wing 26, tarsus '8, bill from gape 5. 



A younger bird has the whole head and neck, the upper part of the 

 breast and the lower abdomen white, the breast tinged with rufous ; quills 

 and tail black ; remainder of the plumage smoky blackish brown, the 

 feathers of the back and lesser wing-coverts margined with pale brown. 



A third bird has the whole head neck, and the entire lower plumage 

 white, except the vent and under tail-coverts, which, together with the re- 

 maining plumage, is smoky brown with pale margins to the feathers of 

 the back and lesser wing-coverts. 



A fourth bird, which I consider to be the youngest of the series, has the 

 whole plumage smoky brown, the quills and tail black ; the breast and 

 abdomen white ; the lesser wing-coverts broadly edged with pale brown, 

 and the feathers of the back more narrowly edged with the same. 



The above descriptions are taken from a series of four birds in the 

 British Museum, ranged according to what I consider their progressive 

 stages from the adult to the youngest. 



The old bird described has an enormous pouch, probably distended by 

 the taxidermist to an unnatural size. Its capacity is about a pint, its 

 length about eight inches, and it stands out from the neck about three 

 inches. The second bird has the throat broadly naked and its junction 

 with the feathered sides abruptly denned. The other two have the sides 

 of the throat covered with tiny feathers. 



According to Major Legge the gular pouch in the male is scarlet, the 

 iris red, bill pale bluish, nail flesh-colour, feet fleshy reddish. 



According to Dr. Jerdon this bird has occurred on the Malabar coast, 

 and it is also met with in the Bay of Bengal. 



It is found in all the tropical seas of the world. 



The Frigate-birds have great strength and powers of flight; they confine 



Q2 



