GEEATER FRIGATE BIRD. 
former being given as “Tropical and Sub-tropical seas” — that of the latter, 
‘‘ Tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, ranging west to Madagascar 
and east to the Society Islands.” 
On p. 442 a Key to the Species is given, showing the differential charac- 
ters recognised by Ogilvie-Grant, and on pp. 446 and 449 details of the 
measurements of specimens are given, but of course no discussion of previous 
workers’ conclusions is attempted. As commonly observed, Ogilvie-Grant 
did not concern himself with the discrimination of subspecies, and he has 
been unhesitatingly followed by all recent workers, though this group has 
been recorded in varied localities by many investigators during the last 
sixteen years. The most casual examination of the series preserved in the 
British Museum made certain that the Atlantic Ocean birds differed from those 
of the Pacific Ocean ; the former place was the type locality of Pelecanus 
aquilus Linne, so in the Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 242, 1912, I used Fregata 
aquila palmerstoni Gmelin for the Australian bird, that name having 
a better claim for usage, as Gmelin had described a Pelecanus palmerstoni 
from Palmerston Island, Pacific Ocean. In the same place I recognised 
Fregata ariel Gould with no subspecific forms, Raine Island, North Australia, 
being the type locality of Gould’s species. 
In my List of the Birds of Australia, published at the end of 1913, 
I continued that usage, as I knew I should soon be monographing the 
group when the correct names would be exactly determined. I, however, 
added as a synonym of Fregata aquila palmerstoni Gmelin the name 
Fregata strumosa of Kittlitz, published by Hartert in connection with 
a Sandwich Island bird. I also wrote Fregata ariel ariel Gould, indicating 
that I had recognised subspecific forms. The complexity of the subject to 
be discussed compels me to review the whole of the literature and all the 
specimens available. As this is the first time such an attempt has been 
made I will again, as in the case of “ Puffinus assimilis Gould ” go into 
the literature first, then discuss the specimens and afterwards summarise 
the results. These wiU probably prove as startling to the readers as they 
have proved interesting to myself. 
The first entrance into systematic work of any member of this group 
appears when Linne included in the Syst. Nat., 10th ed., p. 133, 1758, 
Pelecanus aquilus. The determination of this is absolutely necessary before any 
further work can be done, but hereafter follows the only attempt I have seen. 
Linne’ s description reads : 
“ Pelecanus aquilus. P. cauda forficata, corpore nigro, capite abdomineque 
albis. Amoen. Acad. 4, p. . . . 
243 
