LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN PETRELS AND PELICANS. 191 



localities I possess specimens of tlie bird and its eggs. As I had no opportunity 

 of observing it, I avail myself of the following information communicated to 

 me by Mr. Macgillivray : 



" This tropic-bird was found by us on Eaines Islet, where, during the month 

 of June, about a dozen were procured. Upon one occasion three were observed 

 performing sweeping flights over and about the island, and soon afterwards 

 one of them' alighted. Keeping my eye upon the spot, I ran np and found a 

 male bird in a hole under the low shelving margin of the island bordering the 

 beach, and succeeded in capturing it after a short scuffle, during which it 

 snapped at me with its beak, and uttered a loud, harsh, and oft-repeated 

 croak. It makes no nest, but deposits its two eggs on the bare floor of the 

 hole, and both sexes assist in the task of incubation. It usually returns from 

 sea about noon, soaring high in the air, and wheeling round in circles before 

 alighting." 



Nesting. — ^The red-tailed tropic-bird is the common breeding spe- 

 cies on the islands of the Hawaiian group, where Dr. Walter K. 

 Fisher (1906) has given us the following information regarding it : 



The red-tailed tropic-bird is fairly common on Laysan, where it nests under 

 the shelter of bushes and not infrequently several will congregate beneath 

 colonies of Pregata aquila, occupying the ground floor as it were. The bird has 

 a vicious temper, and if one attempts to disturb or to take it from the egg, it 

 sets up a horrible and discordant screaming, which soon grows unbearable. The 

 sharp beak with serrated edges is not to be despised and the enraged bird will 

 sometimes use it to good advantage. The bow's'n birds keep up their strident 

 cries so long as one meddles with them, but if left undisturbed will soon quiet 

 down. Whenever we inadvertently passed near one hidden under a cheno- 

 podium bush, we soon became aware of its presence by its cry of defiance. • 



The nest is merely a hollow in the sand, with a few grass straws and leaves 

 gathered in the bottom. The single egg is brooded by both parents, each of 

 which sits upon it with the wings slightly opened. We found one white, 

 downy, nestling and most of the eggs were considerably incubated. ' 



We saw only one red-tailed bow's'n bird near the French Frigate Shoals, but 

 on Necker they were rather common. Contrary to the very pronounced nesting 

 habits on Laysan, the species here has accommodated itself to the rocks and 

 lays its egg in any rounded cavity. One nest I examined consisted of old torn 

 feathers, a few stray sticks, and similar rubbish. The birds aat facing the wall 

 and were as noisy as usual when disturbed. 



Mr. Edward Newton (1861) has published the following notes on 



this species: ' ' 



Bound Island lies about twenty-five or thirty miles northeast of Mauritius, 

 and is about a mile and half long by a mile wide. The land rises at once from 

 the sea to about the height of a thousand feet, and is consequently very steep. 

 Here the red-tailed tropic-bird (Plmeton ruhricauda, Bodd.) breeds in very large 

 numbers. They are the tamest birds I ever saw and do not know what fear is, 

 They never attempt to leave their single egg or nestling at one's approach, but 

 merely stick out their feathers and scream, pecking at one's legs with their 

 beaks. It is the fashion on the island for visitors to remove the old bird from 

 its egg by a sUght shove, and then placing the foot gently on its head to draw 

 out the long tail feathers. It resents this insult by screaming and snapping, 

 but never tries to escape by flying or shuffling along the ground ; in fact, like 

 all birds which have their legs placed so far behind, they can not rise off a flat 



