2J0 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



female (I speak from personal knowledge). That from St. 

 Helena was doubtless a young male bird, transversely 

 barred with black on the back and shoulders, in that 

 peculiar bracket-like form, common to the young Phceton 

 cethereus of this Island. Then we have the extraordinary 

 statement that the St. Helena bird has thirteen feathers in 

 its tail, being one more than the full complement — one of 

 which is twenty-two inches long, and could only have 

 belonged to an adult male bird. It is evident from this, 

 that the St. Helena Phceton is a young male bird, of the 

 usual size, and in immature plumage ; and that the long 

 tail feather which it sports, is nothing more than an artfi- 

 cial decoration, given to it by some clever taxidermist, 

 with the view of obtaining a better price for the made-up 

 specimen ! 



April 20th. — Shiel, the fisherman, captured during the 

 past winter a Seagull with a black head, which he kept 

 alive in a spare room, but which eventually made its 

 escape. There can be little doubt, from the man's descrip- 

 tion of the bird, that it was Larus atricilla, the Laughing 

 Gull of Audubon. Shiel lives at some distance from the 

 port, which will account for my not having seen this Gull. 



April 12nd. — Soon after sunset last evening, while 

 blowing a strong breeze from the south, with occasional 

 showers, a number of Night Hawks (Chordeiles virginianus) 

 made their appearance in the low grounds near my house. 

 They were exceedingly active in the pursuit of their prey, 

 and flew so low, and with such rapidity, as sometimes to 

 pass within arm's length of me. One indeed almost flew 

 into my face. This is the first appearance of the Night 

 Hawk this season, being within one day of its visits on 

 former occasions. How very wonderful is this punctuality 



