RAPIDITY OF FLIGHT. 
79 
mercy of those who approach, and one blow on the head 
generally kills it instantly, 
The Tropic-Bird is the very reverse of the heavy, gigantic 
Albatross, and might fairly be called the fairy of the ocean ; 
seen as it is in the genial latitudes of the warmest climates 
of the globe, — now a stationary speck, elevated as far as the 
eye can reach, contrasted with the dark blue of the sky, like 
a spangle in the heavens ; then, suddenly descending like a 
falling star, and as suddenly checking its course, to hover for 
a while over the topmost point of a vessel’s masts, and then 
darting like a meteor, with its two long projecting tail- 
feathers streaming in the air downwards, on a shoal of flying- 
fish ; and then rising gracefully with its prize, again to soar 
aloft and take its rest above the clouds. 
But light and airy as is the Tropic-Bird, what shall we 
say to the Frigate-Bird, which surpasses all others in its 
powers of flight, inasmuch as, excepting at the breeding 
season, it seldom visits the land; and, still more extraor- 
dinary, is never seen to swim or repose upon the waters ! Its 
very structure, indeed, renders its living on either land or 
water a matter of difficulty; its wings are so long, that, like 
the Albatross, unless perched upon the pinnacle of a rock, or 
projecting point of a branch, it cannot take flight. Neither 
is it adapted for a life upon the waves; as its feet are but 
partially webbed, and in addition to its length of wing, 
which renders it as difficult to rise from a flat-water surface 
as from the level ground of the land, its feathers are not of 
that close and downy texture peculiar to aquatic birds ; 
whereas, its whole form and internal arrangements are 
calculated for, it may be almost said, eternal flight. Its 
length of wing, ten or twelve feet from tip to tip, forked tail, 
and short legs, (the thighs or tarsi not exceeding an inch in 
length,) bear a close resemblance to those of our common 
Swift, of whose wonderful powers of flight we have said so 
much; but nature has provided the Frigate-Bird with still 
more surprising means, for not only floating for a time, but 
for ever, without fatigue, in the regions of air, and even sleep 
without risk of falling. We shall endeavour to explain this 
