GEEATER FRIGATE BIRD. 
Tower Island or Indefatigable Island. Coloration as in preceding exactly. 
Culmen 113 mm., wing 660, tail 470, middle toe 52. 
Albemarle Island. Coloration as in preceding exactly. Culmen 106 mm., 
wing 646, tail 510, middle toe 53. 
That is, three birds from Barrington, Tower and Albemarle Islands, all 
males showing narrow purple breeding-plumes and no bar on the wing, 
measure — culmen 106-113 mm., wing 646-660, tail 470-510, middle 
toe 51-53. 
Culpepper Island All black, with gular pouches prominent, broad 
breeding-plumes on back showing a prominent oily green metallic 
coloration, quite different from the purple above noted. There is a 
noticeable bar of brownish, parallel to the shoulder of the wing, on 
the wing-coverts. Culmen 93 mm., wing 580, tail 400, middle toe 50. 
Culpepper Island Identical in coloration. Culmen 89 mm., wing 550 +, 
tail 370, middle toe 50. 
Culpepper Island <^. Identical in coloration. Culmen 90 mm., wing 578, 
tail 390, middle toe 48. 
Wenman Island (?. Identical in coloration. Culmen 91 mm., wing 580, 
tail 370, middle toe 48. 
That is, four birds from Culpepper and Wenman Islands, aU males, 
showing broad oily green breeding-plumes and a brownish bar on the 
wing, measure — culmen 89-93 mm., wing 550-580, tail 370-400, middle 
toe 48-50. 
If these figures be contrasted with the preceding, no gradation is 
observed in the measurements, the figures being remarkably distinct. 
It is obvious that the bird breeding on Culpepper and Wenman Islands 
is much smaller in every way, as well as being somewhat differently coloured, 
than the birds breeding on Barrington, Tower and Albemarle Islands. 
When Ridgway separated the two forms he had only Tower and Barrington 
Islands breeding birds, which were large birds, and the solitary sma^U one 
he had was from Tower Island : it was certainly a straggler from the 
northern islands of Culpepper and Wenman, and Ridgway marked it as 
accidental (?) to the Galapagos, being ignorant of the northern breeding 
place. When Rothschild and Hartert received the small birds from the two 
northern islands they did not recognise this fact, as they were under the 
impression that all the Frigate birds classed under F. aquila {ariel being 
admitted as distinct) must be alike. They wrote that Ridgway’ s distinction 
as to the metallic coloration of the breeding-plumes did not hold good. This 
is purely an error, as I observed the distinction in the specimens and noted 
it down, ignorant of Ridgwatf s prior record. They also claim to have received 
VOL. r\L 
257 
