Evening star., 1898-09-03

night careful listener may hear their
low cry. even if he be not keen-sighted
enough to see them fit beneath him.
Near the Shores.
But apart from these true oceanic no.
mads are the large class of sea birds who,
while gathering their food exclusively from
the sea, never go to any great distance
from lard. This difference between them
and the birds before mentioned is so
strongly marked that. unobservant as sail
ors are generally, there are few who do
not recognize the vicinity of land upon
catching sight of q man-o'-war bird,
BOBBY, gannet or bo'sun. All these birds,
whose trivial designations seem somehow
more appropriate than the nine-jointed no
menclature, of the schools, frequent for
preference more accessible shores than the
eragsy pinnacles generally chosen by the
bolder outfers. OF the first named, the
''man-o'-war" or "frigate' bird, very little
can be said to his credit. Micheiet has
rhapsodised about him in a curious effu-
sion, of which one can only say he seems
to have confused three distinct birds un-
der one mead. Were this bird to receive an
entirely appropriate title, it would be
pirate or "buceaneer," since it is only
scends to fish for himself, choosing rather
to rob humber birds of their we1l-earned
prey. No sea bird mounts SO high as he,
rising into the clear blue until only black
ever, he contents himself with a circling
poise at an altitude of about 200 feet,
whence he keeps steadfast watch upon all
that transpireS beneath. With his long
tail dividing and closing like the halves of
a pair OF shears. aud the brilliant scarlet
pouch at his neck occasionally inflated, he
waits waits, until some fussy hooby like
an oyerladen housewife hurrying home
from market, comes Tapping along toward
her nest Then the broad piniens suddenly
close and down like lightning comes the.
marauder. With wild shrek of terror
BOBBY disgorges her fish, but ere it reaches
the water out flash the black wings again,
and with a grand sweep the assaflant has
caught the plUnGer, and scared skyward.
In like manner these birds may sometimes
be seen to catch fying-fish on the wing,
truly marvellous feat. 1t is, psyertheless,
or sickness overtakss them. sitting in lone
ly dignity among the rocks where they
breed, helplessly awaiting with glazing
eyes and dropping plumage the tardy COM
ing of delivssrance.
Bellies Its Name.
AS for the BOBBY, whose contemptuous
name is surely libel. space is now far too
brief to do anything like justice to it's
many virtues. In a number of ways 1t
corresponds very closely with the manners
of our domestic fowls, notably in its care
of Its brood. and utter change in it's habits
when the young ones are dependent upon
IT. OF stupidity the only evidences really
noticeable are it's Indifference to the ap-
proach of generally dreaded dangers when
it is drowsy. At night one may collect as
many from their resting places as can be
desired, for they make no effort to escape,
but look at their enemy with a full steady
eye wherein there is no speculation what
ever. Numberless instances might be col
lected where the tameness, as we'll as the
abundance. of boobies have been the means
of preserving human life after shipwreck,
while their flesh and eggs are by no means
unpalatable.