NORTH AMERICAN BlRDfi. 



75 



128. Man-o'-War Bird, in downward flight 



known by its immense wings and deeply forlted tail, and colors of brownish-black, 

 glossed with green. It is a constant resident of the Bahamas, breeding on some of 

 the Keys in March. One of the best descriptions ever written concerning the nesting 

 and general habits of this species is that by Walter B. Bryant, entitled: "Rookery 

 of Man-o'-War Biros," in The Nidnloyist, September, 1893. From this article I take 

 the following interesting facts: Upon the mangroves bordering a small lagoon on 

 the eastern side of Santa Margarita Island, one of the islands forming the spacious 

 harbor of Magdalena Bay, Baja, California, he found an extensive n6Si,ing colony 

 of this species in 1888-9. If the imagination can picture twice and three times the 

 number of birds which appear in the illustration it will form but a partial conception 

 of the" number of individuals congregated about the lagoon — a tidal body of water 

 a few hundred yards in length and not more than eighty wide. The illustration was 

 taken from the most populous portion of the rookery. The eggs are laid in January, 

 only a single one to each nest. Both parents take part in the incubation. The eggs 

 are dull immaculate white, shaped somewhat like a Gull's egg and averaging 68. 7x 

 46.9 millimetres. Upon the slight platform of dry twigs composing the nest and not 

 larger in size than a dinner plate, it is surprising that the egg will remain, but 

 most of the nests have more or less projecting bits of twigs which keep the egg in 

 place. The nest shown in the illustration had probably been used once or twice, as 

 ii is heavily incrusted with guano of young birds and is of more than average Chick-. 



