326 
POPULAR HISTORY OP BIRDS. 
their aim^ there is no inducing the man-of-war bird again to 
approach the bait. The male bird is most esteemed. So fond 
used the natives to be of the feathers as ornaments^ that they 
have been known to exchange a large hog for a specimen. 
Here is old Dampier^s account of this now well-known 
bird. 
The Man-of- War (as it is called by the English of the 
West Indies) is about the bigness of a Kite^ and in shape 
like it^ but black ; and the neck is red. It lives on lish, 
yet never lights on the water^ bu^t soars aloft like a Kite^ 
and when it sees its prey^ it flies down headforemost to the 
water^s edge^ very swiftly takes its prey out of the sea with 
his bill, and immediately mounts again as swiftly, and never 
touching the water with his bill. His wings are very long ; 
his feet are like other land-fowl ; and he builds on trees, 
where he finds any, but where they are wanting, on the 
ground"^.''^ 
The Gannets {Stda) belong also to this family. Some of 
the species have been named Boobies,^^ from the ease with 
which they allow themselves to be deprived of their fishy 
prey by other birds. Mr. Blytht describes the air-cavities 
in these birds as being extraordinarily developed : the air 
* Dampier, * New Voyage round the World.' 
t Cuvier's 'Animal Kingdom/ p. 260. 
