346 



Bird - Lore 



their long tails are not then conspicuous. Against the blue of the sky their 

 plumage is dazzling; but see them against the dark background of a cliff, and 

 they appear of a beautiful pale green, due to their glossy plumage reflecting 

 the bright emerald of the water below. 



The Tropic-bird selects its nesting-site without regard for safety from 

 marauders, except that they are all well above the high-water mark of the tide. 



Many nests are in- 

 accessible, owing to 

 their being situated 

 near the tops of lofty 

 cliffs, but the great 

 majority of those I 

 saw (between two 

 and three hundred) 

 were placed in vari- 

 ous sites on low 

 islands. Some were 

 in plain view on 

 wide ledges of rock, 

 while others were at 

 the end of long 

 winding tunnels. On 

 one of the islands 

 of Castle Harbor, I 

 found them in the 

 deep grass and also 

 under small cedar- 

 bushes. The birds 

 are about the size 

 of Pigeons, and it 

 seems curious that a 

 bird with so long a 

 tail should select 

 so seemingly uncom- 

 fortable a nesting- 

 place, for in every case the long tail-feathers were forced forward over the 

 bird's back, due to the snugness of the nests. These two feathers are the 

 central ones of the twelve forming the tail, and the longer usually averages 

 seventeen or eighteen inches in length. Sometimes they are longer, and I 

 have seen several that were but little less than twenty-two inches. They drop 

 out easily after attaining full growth, and often are seen ornamenting the 

 otherwise perfectly bare nests. 



During the month of May, I found the birds in all stages of breeding. Some 







IV.*- 1 



YELLOW-BILLED TROPIC-BIRDS BROODING YOUNG 



