st. Paul's rocks. 73 



Around all the nests were small flying fish, which are 

 brought by the old birds in their crops, and ejected for food for 

 the young or for the females whilst sitting. Fitzroy visited 

 St. Paul's Eocks on February 16th ; Eoss on May 29th; we on 

 August 29th; on all these occasions eggs and young birds were 

 found. Hence, breeding goes on all the year round. 



The only other terrestrial inhabitants of the rocks besides 

 the birds are insects and spiders which prey on them. They 

 are most of them to be found by breaking up the nests of the 

 noddies. Darwin* mentions the following : — A pupiparous fly 

 (Olfersia), living on the booby as a parasite. This fly belongs to 

 the same group as the curious Nycteribia, so common on the 

 bodies of fruit-eating bats. The group is remarkable for the 

 fact that the female, instead of laying, like most insects, eggs 

 which produce grubs, produces a chrysalis, from which the fly 

 in a short time emerges. 



A Staphylinid beetle (Quedius), a tick, a small brown moth, 

 belonging to a genus which feeds on feathers, and a wood-louse, 

 living beneath the guano, and spiders, complete Darwin's list. 

 We found two species of spiders, which cover the rock in some 

 places with their web, and in addition to the insects noted by 

 Darwin, the larva of a moth, apparently a Tortrix, and a small 

 Dipter. Yon Willemoes Suhm also found a Chelifer, but could 

 not find either the beetle or wood-louse. 



Besides these there are of course to be reckoned the lice, 

 parasites usual upon the two birds, and the list of air-breathing 

 inhabitants seems then complete. 



St. Paul's Eocks being close on the equator, the sun was 

 extremely powerful, and the white guano-covered rocks reflected 

 the radiant heat-rays with the same effect as does a snow surface 

 in Switzerland. Our faces were severely sunburnt. At the base 

 of the " Booby's hill " is a flat expanse of rock with tide pools 

 upon it, in which were shoals of small fish, a black and yellow 

 banded Clicetodon and numerous small gobies. The sides of the 

 pools were covered with a grey Pcdythoa, a sea anemone, forming 

 colonies of the same species apparently as that at St. Vincent, 



* Darwin, "Journal of Researches," p. 10. 



