110 A NATURALIST ON DESERT ISLANDS. 



of these birds were within ten or twelve feet of us ; and to 

 be suddenly introduced into the immediate family circle 

 of such a private party is a thing which is bound to make 

 an impression on the most phlegmatic ornithologist. 

 These photographs may also be useful in comparing the 

 nesting -sites chosen here with those used in Los Hermanos ; 

 in the one case arboreal and in the other terrestrial or 

 nearly so. For any further information as to the nesting 

 ways of these birds we must refer the reader to the chapters 

 alluded to above. There are one or two points, however, 

 in regard to other pecuharities connected with this bird, 

 which we might mention here. 



On this island we came across three or four of their 

 dead bodies, suspended by the neck from the forks of 

 branches, at varying distances from the ground. They 

 were gaunt spectres enough, but had become desiccated 

 into perfect skeletons, to which many of the feathers still 

 clung ; and unless one knev/ the reason for their presence, 

 it might be wondered how on earth they came to be where 

 they were ; for they were certainly never put there by 

 man. It appeared that the islanders had noticed these 

 corpses on the few occasions when they visited the island : 

 and one of the negro " boys " most solemnly assured 

 me that frigate-birds occasionally committed suicide, 

 and that this was their method of taking leave of this 

 wicked world. Why they should want to do so, was a 

 point which apparently had not presented itself to the 

 somewhat child-like brain of this simple black ; but the 

 real explanation of the affair is simple enough. Exhibit- 

 ing the most perfect powers of flight when once launched 

 fairly into the air, the frigate-bird is a clumsy creature 

 when he comes to earth. He loses his balance with sur- 

 prising ease on the smaller branches of these unstable 

 tree-tops, and in his ungainly efforts to regain it, sometimes 

 tumbles through them in a heap. His great spread of 

 wing is more than useless to him under these circumstances ; 

 and he slithers down a helpless mass from branch to branch, 

 till he eventually arrives on the ground beneath. Lucky 



