37 
H 
4 - 14-23 
the returning bird in almost every case brought a green tobacco leaf as an 
offering. The inc. bird would take it and tuck it first on one side & 
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then on the other of the nest rim with a great show of bustling activity. 
The most interesting observation, however, might be termed "the parasite 
parasitized". The Man~o L war bird is the most notorious rogue, getting most 
of his living by robbing other species - notably Sula and Puffinus of their 
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booty when they come landward from their fishing. Even his nest material 
seems to be stolen in good measure from his neighbors' supply. He has been 
reported as even cannibalizing nestlings of his own sp. Imagine my surprise, 
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then to see a Bristle-thighed Curlew taking issue with a cf Man-o' 1 -war bird 
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lil ~ - o laxxer * s nest, where he was inc. an egg I The curlew slipped up 
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tactfully from behind and pecked and pecked and harried him time after time. 
The clumsy (on the nest or ground) Man-o'-war bird would turn and fight 
back, but the nimbler curlew easily evaded him. Finally, after a particu¬ 
larly vicious and tantalizing assault the Man-o'-war bird forgot his precious 
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charge and lumbered to wing. Instantly the curlew rushed forward to his 
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prise and with one blow of his beak broke open the egg he had been after 
all this time and began to devour its contents. In an instant he was 
.joined by 7 other curlew rushing to the feast and by 6 turnstones which 
tagged at the bigger brigands' heels. Afterwards we saw this perverted 
band systematically going over the colony for (some defenselessjtern with 
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an egg, or for a larger bird that could be harried from its charge. Finally 
I succeeded in filming the same organized band in a similar attempt on 
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another o' Man-o'-war bird. This time they failed in their ouroose, seem- 
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ing. to lack the assistance of the perhaps now surfeited "shock troop" 
leader. Anyway un_. Pregata stuck to his post, and the ring of cunning 
weaves that had surrounded him. gave it up as a bad job and xrooped off 
