Stevenson, one of the most careful observers, several times speaks of the 

 southern tropic bird. In one instance he makes, however, a mistake -which is 

 quite pardonable, and which has been made by others, in supposing that there 

 is but one, and not two, long feathers in the bird's tail — an error due to 

 the fact that in moulting the feathers are renewed irregularly and, in conse- 

 quence, one feather frequently projects much beyond its fellow and gives the 

 appearance of a single plume. The paragraph referred to is from "The Ebb 

 Tide", p, 130 : - 



"******* around and about the schooner a tropic bird, white as a snow- 

 flake, hung and circled, and displayed, as it turned, the long vermil- 

 ion feather in its tail," 



•.Then E. and I were climbing the long but beautifully shaded trail that 

 zigzags the slopes of Mt, Vaea on our pilgrimage to Stevenson's tomb, we 

 saw, sailing up and down the valley beneath us, a splendid red-tail, flying 

 directly over Vailima. Perhaps he was a descendant of one of the poet's birds. 



Mr. D, McDonald, Chief Officer of the S.S. "Tahiti", who for years has 

 studied the oceanic life of Fheaethon rubricaudus , tells me that these birds 

 come on board practically always at night; and when they do so it is not (or 

 rarely) because of exhaustion or because they are blown" aboard but because 

 they are attracted by one or other of the ship 1 lights. They generally fly 

 directly at the lantern, and are often stunned by the impact. They then fall 

 onto the deck and, owing partly to the confusion produced by the blow, are 

 unable to fly off again, Mr. McDonald does not think that the injnry is alone 

 responsible for their helplessness (that generally leads to their capture); 

 in addition, they seem unable to get a grip on the smooth, often slippery, 

 deck without which they cannot acquire the headway necessary for upward flight. 

 Nor does he believe that, as may obtain in the case of insects, they are lured 

 by the illuminated lantern as such, for no sea-bird would deliberately smash 

 into an object, especially one so visible as a night-light unless he were de- 

 ceived as to its solidarity. Ho; the fact is the bird thinks, so avers Mr. 

 McDonald, that the lighted area of the lantern and its immediate surroundings 

 constitutes an exit into daylight beyond. We all know that a bird in a dark- 

 ened barn or other enclosure easily discovers and flies through a hole or 

 other opening that gives on the daylight. It is not that he is attracted by 

 the light-area of the exit, but he visualizes and seeks, by means of the open- 

 ing, the free air of heaven beyond. Thus it is with certain birds at sea; 

 they expect to fly thr:uflh the light and not at, it. The dark or dimly- lighted 

 canopy of the night represents to thorn a sort of ante-chamber of the day; 

 the light at the mast-head is one of, it my be, many openings through which 

 the great, diurnal outdoors may be reached. Pensieri vani for the bird, you 

 a^y say, but not more vain, is it, than the beliefs about the causes of day- 

 light and darkness that were devoutly held by educated and polished races of 

 mankind not so many years ago'. I cannot recolledt that C-aetke or any other 

 observer of lighthouse tragedies has explained them in this fashion, "but the 

 Chief Officer's theory sounds feasible to me. At any rate I give it for what 

 it may be worth. 



Then, there is that other question in comparative psychology to answers- 

 Is there in this search for light, evidence of a superior of or an inferior, 

 avian intelligence? - because we know that there are sea-birds that follow or 

 fly about ships, who are not attracted by lights in this manner - gulls, pet- 



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