50 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 95 



The breeding season is from April to August and some 

 pairs rear two broods in that time. They are fearless while 

 on their nests and may be handled without any attempt at 

 escape. It must not be g"athered from this, that they are 

 meek in disposition ; they are not, and as soon as an intruder 

 is discovered, they set up a harsh, peevish cry and peck 

 viciously with their powerful bills, which can inflict consider- 

 able injury. 



The young birds are covered with a fine white down, with 

 dark skin between the eyes. They are fed on partly digested 

 food regurgitated by the parents, consisting of small min- 

 nows, flying fish, squids, etc. After the young- bird is a few 

 weeks old, the parents leave it to itself, visiting it only at 

 feeding time. It remains in the nest until strong enough to 

 fly, a period of about two months. 



The air is truly the proper environment of the Topic-Bird, 

 where it is a marvel of grace and beauty ; the long tail feath- 

 ers adding much to the effect. On land it is very awkward, 

 and owing- to the very small feet and the fact that they are 

 i;laced so far back, it is unable to walk or stand. It usually 

 crawls on its breast aided by its wings, and as flight from a 

 flat surface is impossible, it gains a suitable elevation before 

 launching in the air. 



There are only two other American species of these birds, 

 the Red-billed Tropic-Bird (Phacthon aethereoits) found in 

 the West Indies and the Red-Tailed Tropic-Bird (Phacthon 

 riihricauda) of the western coast of Tropical America, both 

 considerably larger than the Yellow-billed. The former has 

 fourteen tail feathers and the latter sixteen, the two central 

 feathers being very much attenuated and of a rich crimson 

 color. 



The Tropic-Birds inhabit the warm seas of both Hemis- 

 pheres and are often seen hundreds of miles from any land. 



DESCRIPTION SEXES SIMILAR. 



General color — snowy white. A crescent-shaped black 

 mark in front of and passing- through the eye, extending 



