3994 The Zoologist — May, 1874. 



be an indication of affection towards their wives, but whatever it 

 was, these old fellows, at a distance, sitting amongst the dark green 

 foliage, looked as bright as peonies. Others had black heads with 

 white cheeks and throats, and the rest of their plumage rusty iron- 

 black. Some, and I do not feel quite certain what they were, — 

 perhaps very old females, — had snow-white heads, throats and 

 necks, and were ornamented with a conspicuous white transverse 

 bar across the upper wing-coverts. 



On the arrival of the males the females uttered a low sibillating 

 cry, accompanied by a soft snapping together of their mandibles. 

 The males, however, were most awkward in their manners, and 

 often flew quite abruptly into their nests, alighting sometimes on 

 the backs of their mates and almost dislodging them, and it was 

 quite marvellous to me, considering the scuflBe which then ensued, 

 that the eggs were not pushed out of the nest. 



While we were investigating the breeding-grounds of these birds, 

 the greater part of the community wheeled in circles over our 

 heads, every now and again descending and expressing their anger 

 at our intrusion by a violent snapping of their beaks. They were 

 so numerous at times that the sky was quite black with them, and 

 from the ship I was told it appeared as if a dark moving cloud 

 hung over that portion of the island during our visit. We expected 

 we should be covered with vermin after our stay among these 

 birds, but strange to say we were in no way annoyed, and 1 only 

 saw a solitary specimen of a very minute species of bird-louse. 

 Frigate-birds when placed on the ground, like albatrosses and 

 large petrels, are perfectly helpless. 



Besides the birds above noticed there were, in certain localities, 

 colonies of herons, apparently consisting of two species. Both 

 appeared to have recently bred, for I observed young birds strong 

 on the wing. One of the species, and that the most numerous of 

 the two, was of a bluish gray, with black head, yellow cheeks and 

 legs; the other was of an uniform dirty buff; both about the size 

 of the common night heron. The former species uttered a peculiar 

 cry, which, until we had seen the bird, we took for the yelping 



of a cur. 



Gervase F. Mathew. 



H.M.S. ' Eepulse," Taboga, Bay of Panama, 

 March 21, 1874. 



