*54 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



therefore, record it as my opinion that Sir William Jardine's 

 Tobago Phaeton is nothing more than the young of OUR 

 "Phaeton Athereus" in immature plumage, and this opinion 

 is borne out by the much smaller size of the two elongated 

 feathers of the tail of the Tobago specimen ; their length, 

 too, being less than that of the adult bird. 



It is perhaps not generally known that the young of our 

 Tropic Bird remains in its nesting place until capable of 

 flight; that it then disappears from our shores, and is 

 supposed to proceed at once to sea, in company with the 

 parent birds. This takes place about the middle or the end 

 of July, and probably with some a month later. The young 

 bird is then white, marked about the head, neck and upper 

 parts, with black or brown bracket-shaped bars, but much 

 more sparingly than in the Tobago specimen. The lower 

 parts, I think, are altogether white, and the long tail feathers 

 entirely wanting. The Tobago specimen is therefore noth- 

 ing more than might be expected of any Phaeton when 

 further advanced in the plumage of the young. 



February 20th. — Mr. Wedderburn shot a Kingfisher and 

 two Carolina Crakes in the neighbourhood of the sluice 

 gates this morning, and invited me to visit Spanish Point 

 with him, to search for a small bird very much resembling 

 the British Skylark, which he had observed there, and shot 

 at. Failed in finding the unknown bird, and saw nothing 

 but two Carolina Crakes near the sluice gates, one of which 

 was shot by Mr. Wedderburn. 



NOTE. — All last night and this morning it has been 

 blowing a strong gale from the west and north-west. 



February 22nd. — A large White-backed Gull was seen 

 ibout the upper part of Hamilton Water this morning. 



