THE STORY OF THE BIRDS. 
513 
fash. The nests are large platforms of sticks, and the eggs, never more than 
seven, have a pale blue shell, incrusted with chalky matter. 
Frigate Pelican—The frigate bird differs from the other pelicans in its 
powerful hook-beak, slender body and absence of pouch. It lives entirely 
in the water, spending much of its time on the wing far away from land. It 
obtains a great deal of its food by taking it away from other sea birds. The 
plumage of the male is brownish black, shot with metallic green and purple 
on the head, neck, back, breasts and sides, shaded with gray on the wings. 
The beak is light blue at the base, white in the middle, and dark corn color 
at the tip. An air sack on the throat is orange red. The feet are carmine 
BUSTARDS. 
red above and orange beneath. The frigate bird inhabits the warm regions 
of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is sometimes known by the 
title of Son-of-the-sun. The female lays but a single egg. 
Tropic Bird—Sailors generally refer to this bird as the “boatswain.” In 
•appearance it is not unlike the tern and is somewhat smaller than the com¬ 
mon gull. The best known member of the family is the red beak tropic bird 
which ranges over the tropical regions of the three great oceans. The 
plumage is white, with a reddish tinge, and black, and the two long tail- 
feathers white. The beak is coral-red, the eye brown, the leg yellow, and the 
