CULMEN AT WIDTH OF
NO. SEX WING TAIL TARSUS BASE CULMEN
64,611 [Male] ad. 418 190 59 101 30
64,614 [Male] ad. 398 190 59 99 30
64,616 [Male] ad. 405 184 57 100 28
64,612 [Female] ad. 420 183 61 102 29
64,613 [Female] ad. 424 185 59 103 28
FREGATA MINOR MINOR (Gmelin).
Six specimens, two adult males in full breeding plumage, three adult
females and one immature male, from Cavilli and Bancoran Islands, Sulu
Sea, March and September.
I follow Rothschild in restricting Gmelin's name _minor_ to the bird
of the eastern Indian Ocean, north Australia etc. (= _F. minor
listeri_ Mathews), and with little doubt refer to this form the
Philippine Frigate.
The color of the bill in the three females is _bright pink_, not far
from between France-pink and geranium-pink of Ridgway. The soft parts
were described by Governor Forbes on the labels as--"Eyelid bright
red: bill light pink, nail white, tip black; feet pale pink." The
males all have dark bills, their soft parts were noted on the labels
as--"Bill blue-black; feet dull brownish, with a slight reddish
tinge."
An adult female of _F. minor palmerstoni_ (Gmelin), shot by Flood, 29
September, 1895 at Molokai, H. I. (115,028 M. C. Z.) has a decidedly
pinkish bill, the color of which was noted on the label as "light
purple."
Gmelin mentions the red bill in his short diagnosis of _minor_ and
Edwards's plate to which he refers shows a female Frigate with a red
bill.
I have dwelt at the above length upon the red bill of the female of
both _minor_ and _palmerstoni_ because it is a character that I have
seen but little mentioned, and because I feel morally certain that the
American bird--_Fregata magnificans_ Mathews according to Rothschild,
_F. minor rothschildi_ Mathews according to Mathews--does not show it.
We have a very large series of Frigate birds from America, and among
the females none show any trace of reddish or pinkish on the bills,
nor do I find the bill of the female described as pink on any label,
or for that matter in any text-book.
This being the case, it is a matter of much interest to know what
forms have a pink bill in the female, and what do not.
FREGATA ARIEL ARIEL Gray.
Three specimens, from Tawi Tawi Island, two adult males and one adult
female all taken 21 August, 1921.
Compared with _Fregata ariel iredalei_ Mathews of the western Indian
Ocean these are large birds with heavy bills, and appear wholly
referable to true _ariel_ of Australia etc.