200 
BIRDS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 
FAM. TACHYPETIDAE. 
TACHYPETES AQUILUS. (Linn.) 
Man-of-War Bird. 
Adult Male . — Entire plumage, brownish black, showing a green- 
ish reflection on the head, and purplish upon the back ; tail forked, 
and composed of twelve feathers ; gular sac, pale orange ; iris, 
brown. 
Adtclt Female. — Differs from the male by having a white patch 
on the breast, passing along the sides of the neck, and around near 
the middle. 
Length 43, wing 25, tail 19, tarsus t, bill 6. 
The “ Frigate,” as it is sometimes called, frequents all of the 
Bahama Islands, but only during the breeding season do they appear 
to congregate in any one place. They remain throughout the year, 
but seem to become more numerous as the Terns commence to 
arrive. While at Abaco, on June 24, we procured a number of 
nests, containing young birds apparently between two and three 
weeks old. The nest was placed in mangrove-bushes close to the 
water’s edge. For the first few days the young birds would not eat 
