during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. 325 
Iris pale grey. Eyelids edged with bright blue; a patch 
of dark bluish green immediately in front of eye. 
These colours do not agree in any particular with those 
given by Mr. Cory in his f Birds of the West Indies/ 
Sula piscator (Linn.). 
This Gannet was present in greater numbers than either 
of the other two species. It appears to breed earlier, and, 
at the time of our visit, there were already young in all 
stages of down, a few being quite big birds. The nest 
is formed of twigs, grass, and sticks very roughly put 
together, and is ludicrously small in comparison with the 
size of the bird. It is invariably placed in either mangrove 
or sea-grape bushes. By far the greater number of nests 
were occupied by birds in the white-tailed stage of plumage, 
entirely white birds of the most adult stage being very scarce. 
One egg only is laid. 
The colours of the soft parts have been recently described 
by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and Mr. Nicoll. 
Birds w r hich I obtained on Little Cayman Island, whence 
examples have been distinguished by the name of Sula coryi y 
do not appear to differ in any respect, sufficient to justify 
distinction, from birds obtained in other parts of the 
Caribbean Sea. 
I have found the Little Cayman Gannets breeding at 
exactly the same time as those on Los Hermanos. 
The cause which has led these three species of Gannet, so 
similarly circumstanced, to constantly build their nests in 
dissimilar positions would be an interesting subject for 
speculation. 
Fregata aquila (Linn.). 
These birds were present in numbers amounting to many 
hundreds. They were busy breeding, and the island was 
covered with nests which contained eggs and young in 
various stages of nakedness and down. 
The nest is formed of sticks and twigs, with a comfortable 
lining of dry grass, similar to the long coarse grass which 
ser. ix.—VOL. in. 
z 
