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Surprised on a sandy level, on the banks, the low reefs where he sometimes halts, the frigate-bird is defenceless;
令人驚訝的是，在它偶爾停留的沙灘上、岸堤和低珊瑚礁上，軍艦鳥就完全無助了；
in vain he threatens, in vain he strikes, for a blow from a stick will overcome him.
它的威脅、它的攻擊在陸地上統統都失去了效力，因為一根棍子便可以制服它。
At sea, those vast wings, of such admirable utility in ascent, are ill fitted for skimming the surface of the water.
然而，在高空中令人羨慕的巨翼，卻并不適用于在海面上滑行。
When wetted, they may over-weight and sink him. And thereupon, woe to the bird!
一旦被打濕，它們可能會因為過重而沉入水中。于是，災難就會降臨到可憐的它身上！
And yet, what shall he do? His food lies in the waters.
那么，它該怎么辦呢？它的食物就在水中。
He is ever compelled to draw near them, to return to them, to skim incessantly the hateful and prolific sea which threatens to engulf him.
它總是被迫去靠近它們、反復接近它們，還要冒著隨時被海水吞沒的危險，連續掠過那個可惡而又物產豐富的海面。
Thus, then, this being, so well armed and winged, superior to all others in power of flight and vision as in daring, leads but a trembling and precarious life.
因此，這種有著良好裝備和超大雙翼的生物，盡管其飛行本領和視力超越其他動物，盡管其膽量非凡，卻終日過著擔心受怕的危險生活。
He would die of hunger had he not the ingenuity to create for himself a purveyor, whom he cheats of his food.
如果它沒有給自己找到一個可以提供食物的供應商，就會餓死。
His ignoble resource, alas! is to attack a dull and timorous bird, the noddy, famous as a fisher.
唉，可嘆啊，軍艦鳥那不光彩的一面就是去攻擊一只遲鈍又膽小的鳥——以“漁夫”之名著稱的燕鷗。
The frigatebird, which is of no larger dimensions, pursues him, strikes him on the neck with his beak, and constrains him to yield up his prey.
軍艦鳥追趕著體型并不大的小鳥，用自己的鳥嘴去攻擊它的頸項，迫使它放棄自己的食物。
All this takes place in the air. The noddy drops the fish; but the frigate-bird catches it before it can reach the water.
這整個的過程都是在空中進行的，燕鷗終于丟下了嘴里的魚；可是，軍艦鳥卻在魚即將落入水中之前抓住了它。
