412 PELICAN. 



their long fins, as wings, to buoy them up in the air, which they 

 are enabled to do, so long as they remain wet ; but on becoming dry 

 are useless, and of course they drop again into their proper element; 

 during their flight the frigate darts in among the shoal, and seizes 

 one or two at least. These birds appear to know the exact place 

 where the fish are to rise, from the bubbling of the water, which 

 directs them to the spot.* In this they are often accompanied by 

 Gulls and other birds, who act in concert with them. Said to make 

 their nest on trees, if any within a proper distance, otherwise on the 

 rocks ;t lay one or two eggs, flesh-colour, spotted with crimson.J 

 The young birds covered with greyish white down; legs of the same 

 colour; bill white. 



14— LESSER FRIGATE PELICAN. 



Pelecanus minor, hid. Orn. ii. 885. Gm. Lin. \. 572. 

 Fregata minor, Bris. v'\. 509. Id. 8vo. ii. 494. 

 Petite Fregate, Buf. viii. 390. 

 Man of War Bird, Edw. pi. 309. 

 Lesser Frigate Pelican, Gen. Syn. vi. 590. 



THIS is less than the last, and only two feet nine inches in 

 length ; extent of wing five feet and a half. The bill red ; the base 

 and bare space round the eye, the same ; head, neck behind, and 

 upper parts of the body, and wings, ferruginous brown ; throat, fore 

 part of the neck, and breast, white ; tail greatly forked as in the 

 other; legs dirty yellow. 



In a bird very similar to this, if not the same, the plumage is 

 full black ; the breast and belly mottled with ash-colour; the inner 

 ridge of the wing the same ; the bill has the long furrow, as is seen 



* Hist. Barb. p. 86. t Dampier. Said to build in numbers on a small Island 



contiguous to Guadaloupe. — Hist, des Ois. note (s.) 



J Mr. Barton says they lay but one white egg, and that the male sits upon it, and 

 hatches the young, while the female is on the wing procuring food : this seems probable, 

 since the birds taken on land are all males, and those flying at sea all females. — Lin. Trans. 



