WESTERN LESSER FRIGATE BIRD. 
indeed, reduced to mere black specks against the blue sky. Extending for 
more than half-a-mile along the middle of the island was a narrow strip of 
open land, almost free from the usual high grass, and covered chiefly with 
the Ipomcea. Here the nests of the Frigate Birds were to be seen in clusters 
or bunches of from five to six to as many as twenty together (very rarely 
singly), and built directly on the ground of stalks of grass and Ipomma, small 
twigs, etc. The average dimensions of each nest were about one foot in 
height by a little more in diameter, though frequently the clusters of old 
nests, which were evidently used for a succession of years, formed masses of 
very considerable size. As in the case of the Gannets and Cormorants, the 
hollow in the nests was very slightly defined, and in each was deposited a 
single egg, averaging x lit inches, pure white in colour, very thin-shelled 
with only a very slight limy coating. A few of the eggs were newly laid, 
and easily recognizable by their delicate and beautiful pink tinge, but the 
great majority were very ‘ hard-set,’ and there were a gi'eat many young 
birds in the nests. These, when just out of the shell, were quite naked, like 
the young Gannets, which they then greatly resembled ; when more advanced 
they were covered with a scanty white down, and had a conspicuous 
saddle-shaped band of dark grey feathers across the back and scapular 
region. Nearly all the brooding birds were females, some of them in quite 
immature dress, but among them were many fine old cocks, conspicuous 
by their deep green-glossed black plumage and scarlet throat-pouches. A 
few stray Gannets, usually of the white species [cyanops ?] had taken up 
their quarters for incubation among the Frigate Birds, but were evidently 
regarded with but little favour by the legitimate occupants of the ground. 
The tameness, or rather indifference, of these birds, especially of the females, 
was most surprising. As one walked among the nests, the sitting birds 
nearest at hand merely stretched out their necks, snapped their long, slender, 
hooked bills, and uttered a croak like that of the White Gannet, but very 
much more feeble; while to obtain the egg it was necessary to push the bird 
off the nest, when it took wing without apparent difficulty. The birds on 
the adjoining nests, little more than arm’s length distant, meanwhile took 
absolutely no notice of the intruder. The young birds, when of any size, 
were much more vicious than their parents, and energetically resisted any 
attempt to take them off, croaking and snapping fiercely with their bills.” 
Mr. Tom Carter has given me the following interesting note : “ Aboriginal 
name, Wannoo. Although this fine species is abundant in the far North-west, 
the birds do not seem to usually go south of the North-west Cape. When- 
ever seen at Point Cloates, it was a sure sign that a hurricane was either then 
raging in the north or was approaching further south. The natives in my 
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