GREATER FRIGATE BIRD. 
Firstly, in the British Museum, there are eight birds from Ascension 
Island : they provide a complete series from downy young to fully adult, and 
show that Ascension Island harbours a bird quite different from any elsewhere 
found. 
The downy young is white : a young bird showing down still adhering 
has the head and neck all round and upper-breast pure white; no rust coloration 
whatever is observed ; two other young ones with wings well grown show 
exactly the same coloration. Three birds with breeding pouches marked 
males are all black throughout : they have no white flank-feathers, nor do 
they show any dull brownish bar on the wing. Another bird, sexed by the 
same collector as a female, is wholly black, the upper-breast having a brownish 
tinge, the collar at the back of the neck being not so dark, while there are no 
lanceolate breeding-plumes on the back nor is there any nuptial pouch. The 
sexing seems absolutely correct, and consequently in this form the sexes are 
both wholly black and the young is white-headed. No other locality has yet 
produced such a peculiar combination, so that this must be regarded as a 
distinct species. 
The common widespread species known under the name Fregata aquila 
undergoes complex plumage changes as follows : 
Nestling. Pure white down. 
Next stage. 
Next. 
Next. 
Next. 
Next. 
Scapulars and mantle of brown feathers with subterminal 
bars ; round the eyes, over fore-head and chin naked. 
Red down comes on the naked part of the head but not on 
the chin ; secondaries commence as black feathers. 
Larger, and tail-feathers begin black. 
The red extends over the top of the head and on to the face ; 
the scapulars are fully developed and the feathers of the back 
growing: these are dark brown with lighter tips. Thq tail 
has rapidly lengthened, being 150 mm. long and showing 
slight but decided fork, their feathers being black with a 
blue sheen ; the wing-coverts are more or less greyish- white 
throughout, the primaries and secondaries long and black 
with a metallic sheen ; the breast-feathers just beginning 
to show. 
Larger and similar to preceding ; the tail, more forked, 
measures 214 mm. ; the head is darker and the dark breast- 
feathers show more prominently, but otherwise the under- 
parts are still covered with down. 
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