210 A NATURALIST ON THE " CHALLENGER." 



inquisitive habits, are always attracting one's attention. A pair 

 or two of them always forms part of any view on the coast. 

 The birds are pure white, about the size of a very large pigeon, 

 but with the appearance rather of a fowl. They have light pink- 

 coloured legs, with partial webbing of the toes, small spurs on the 

 inner side of the wings, like the spur- winged flower, and a black 

 bill with a most curious curved lamina of horny matter projecting 

 over the nostrils. Eound the eye is a tumid pink ring bare of 

 feathers ; about the head are wattle-like warts. 



The birds have been examined anatomically by De Blain- 

 ville,* who concluded that they are nearly related to the Oyster- 

 catchers. The birds nest under fallen rocks along the cliffs, often 

 in places where the nest is difficult of access. The nest is made 

 of grass and bents, and the eggs are usually two in number, and 

 of the shape of those of the Plovers, and of a somewhat similar 

 colouring, spotted dark red and brown. They have been de- 

 scribed and figured by Gould, and he considers the eggs to show 

 further alliance of the Sheath-bills to the Plovers. I found two 

 nests with three eggs, but two is the most usual number. 



The young are black on coming from the egg, following the 

 usual law with white birds, the white colouring being' a lately 

 acquired peculiarity. The young one has the nostrils wide 

 open and merely a tumidity about the posterior margin of the 

 nostrils and across the beak where the sheath is commencing to 

 grow out. 



On sitting down on the rocks where there are pairs of Sheath- 

 bills about, one soon has them round him, uttering a harsh, half 

 warning, half inquisitive cry on first seeing one, and venturing 

 gradually nearer and nearer, standing and gazing up at the 

 intruder with their heads turned on one side. The birds come 

 frequently within reach of a stick, and can often be knocked over 

 in that way, or bowled over with a big stone, as they will sit 

 quietly and allow half a dozen stones, as big as themselves 

 almost, to be thrown at them. 



At length, only after being narrowly missed several times, 



* "Voyage de la Bonite," Zoologie, Tom. I, p. 107 ; PI. Oiss. IX. 

 The anatomy of the Sheath-bills has been further lately made the 

 subject of a memoir by Dr. Kidder. " Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus.," No. 3. 



