MAN-O’-WAR-BIRDS 
185 
brown margined with paler; chest brownish, belly white. L., 50*00; W., 19*50; 
Tar., 2*65; B., 11*00. 
Range . — Gulf coast of U. S. and Atlantic coast of Cen. and S. Am. 
Breeds from S. C. and La. s. to Brazil; casual in N. C.; accidental in 
Wyo., Nebr., Iowa, Ills., Ind., Mass., and N. S. 
Long Island, one record. 
Nest, in colonies, of sticks or weed-stalks, etc., in mangrove bushes or 
on the ground. Eggs, 3, similar in color to those of the preceding species, 
3*00 x 1*95. Date, Pelican Is., Fla., usually Dec. 1; Gulf Coast, Fla., Apl. 
4; So. Car., May 23. 
At all seasons the Brown Pelican is maritime. It is a permanent 
resident in Florida, but nevertheless migrates regularly to its ancestral 
nesting-grounds, those of the east coast reaching Pelican Island in 
Indian River about November 1. Eggs are laid by December. They 
hatch in about four weeks, and their young fly when about ten weeks 
old. They are exceedingly noisy but the adults are virtually silent. 
The Pelicans of Pelican Island go fishing possibly fifty miles or more 
up or down the coast from their island home. With a favorable wind 
they travel high before it; with a head wind they skim low over the 
waves usually just outside the breakers. The usual flock-formation is a 
diagonal single file, and the birds progress by alternate flapping and 
sailing in unison. The first wing-stroke after a sail is generally given 
by the leader, not because he is in command, but because, being in 
advance, he encounters greater air-resistance and is the first to lose 
momentum when sailing. 
Unlike the White Pelican, this species secures its prey by diving. 
Singly, in pairs, or in small flocks, they beat back and forth, generally 
about twenty feet above the water, and when opportunity offers, plunge 
downward with such force that the spray dashes high about them, 
and the resulting splash may be heard half a mile. They usually fish 
at sea and feed chiefly on menhaden. 
1900. Chapman, F. M., Bird Studies with a Camera, 191-214. — 1908 
Camps and Cruises, 83-112 (biographical). — 1905. Job, H. K., Wild Wings, 
1-18. 
14. Family Fregatid^. Man-o’-war-birds. (Fig. 32.) 
Man-o’-war-birds, or Frigate-birds, are found throughout inter- 
tropical seas. One of the two known species occurs in America. They 
are strictly maritime, and, while sometimes observed at great distances 
from the land, are met with in numbers only near the coasts. They 
have a greater expanse of wing in proportion to the weight of their 
body than any other bird, and in power of flight are unsurpassed. 
Facing the wind, they pass hours resting motionless on outstretched 
wings, sometimes ascending to great heights and calmly soaring far 
above storms. It is when feeding that their marvelous aerial powers 
are displayed to the best advantage. By swift, indescribably graceful 
darts they secure fish which are near the surface, or capture those which 
have leaped from the water to escape some enemy below. They also 
