369 
on the Birds of St. Croix. 
t 55. Booby. Dysporus suia, Ill.; Peleccinus fiber , & P. sula, 
L.; Sula fusca, Vieill.; Aud. pi. 426. 
This species is met with occasionally in the island, but we are 
pretty sure that it does not breed in the immediate vicinity, and 
it evinces too great a partiality for the deep-sea fishery to occur 
often. 
“ One was brought to me alive in September 1858 by a negro, 
who said he had found it asleep. I tried to keep it, but could 
not induce it to feed itself. Food was forced down its throat 
for several days, but at last it died. It was of an extremely 
fierce disposition, showing even in its reduced state no signs of 
fear. 
“ Between St. Croix and St. Thomas, on September 28th, one 
came within five yards of the schooner in which I was; and I 
was told that one flew so close over the deck of one of the Royal 
Mail Company’s steamers that it was caught on the wing by a 
passenger.”—E. N. 
f 56. Frigate Bird. Tachypetes aquilus, Vieill.; PL Enl. 
961; Aud. pi. 421; Fregata aquila, Cuv. “ Hurricane Bird.” 
This species we have only seen, as far as St. Croix is con¬ 
cerned, soaring at a very great height over the island or the 
adjacent sea, and a most beautiful sight it is to watch one or 
more of these birds hanging in the sky above. There is no 
motion to be observed in their wings; at one time the deeply 
forked tail is seen to be open, at another it is brought into a 
wedge-like shape, but the birds seem to rest immoveable. 
Before a gale, however, they are said often to fly quite low, 
or even to settle on the ground; and hence is derived their 
name, as under these circumstances they are more generally 
observed than at other times, and thus are said to be the fore¬ 
runners of bad weather. This species is said to breed about 
Tortola. 
“ On February 18th, 1857, on my outward voyage, between 
the islands of Antigua and Radonda, I saw a large flock of what 
appeared to me to be Boobies (the last-mentioned species), 
which with loud croaks and shrieks were plunging about; every 
now and then the confusion amongst them being heightened by 
a Frigate Bird descending from aloft and giving chase. Un- 
2 d 
VOL. I. 
