364 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



breeding here at the time of our visit : one egg of the tern only 

 was found. These birds were hence shy, and left the rock on the 

 approach of the boat, and remained flying round it until our 

 departure. 



Most astonishing is the number and variety of land-birds, 

 which is to be found on this small island. It is so small that, 

 when the boat party had landed and had spread over it, it 

 became dangerous to shoot in almost any direction, for fear of 

 hitting some one. Yet here I shot seven species of land-birds, 

 and saw three others. 



Most of the birds of Cape York are constantly migrating, 

 and the resident official at Somerset told me that the constant 

 change from month to month of the birds seen about his place 

 was most astonishing. The Torres Straits Islands serve as 

 resting places for the birds crossing from New Guinea ; Booby 

 Island is evidently thus used, and the number of its land-birds 

 is thus to be accounted for. 



This island corresponds thus in this respect with such an island 

 as Heligoland in Europe, which is a well-known halting-place of 

 birds of passage, and at certain seasons swarms with land-birds, 

 resting on their journey, so that ornithologists visit it to procure 

 the rarest of birds. Heligoland also, like Booby Island, is almost 

 devoid of trees, and the birds have to pitch there in the potato- 

 fields. Upwards of 300 species of land-birds rest on the island, 

 which is a point in the direct lines of migratory flight.* 



A small cleft runs up into Booby Island, and nearly across it, 

 and, affording shade and shelter, allows of the growth of a small 

 thicket of shrubs of a species of fig. Besides these shrubs the 

 island has little vegetation, except scanty grass, and about half- 

 a-dozen species of herbs. Amongst the branches of the figs, 

 lives a most beautiful Fruit-Pigeon (Ptilinopus superbus), with 

 head of a brilliant purple, the body green, and shoulders red. A 

 Painted Quail {Turnix melanonotus), was found amongst the 

 grass. The other birds which I saw or shot were a Land-rail, a 



* J. F. Naumann, " Ueber den Vogelzug mit besonderer Hinsicht 

 auf Helgoland," s. 18. Ehea, Leipzig, 1846. 



H. Seebohm, " Supplementary Notes on the Ornithology of Heligoland," 

 Ibid. 1877, p. 156. 



