214 THE MIGRATIONS OF BIRDS 



been shipped to large cities, and it is said that in 

 one year five million were shipped to England from 

 Egypt. The birds often appear very tired on arrival 

 after migration in their winter home, and at times 

 descend in large numbers to alight on ships, though 

 we may hardly credit the tale of an ancient historian 

 who averred that they fell upon ships until the boats 

 were swamped and sunk. 



Migration among sea-birds is a matter of much 

 interest. In the outer islands of the Hawaiian chain, 

 there is found a series of islets given over almost en- 

 tirely to birds, turtles, and seals; except for a cable 

 station at the atoll known as Midway, there are 

 now no permanent human inhabitants. Birds, how- 

 ever, have occupied these islands for a great many 

 years, and gather there annually in tremendous 

 colonies. Laysan Island, 850 miles northwest of 

 Honolulu, is the most famous of these island rook- 

 eries, since it became known early through the value 

 of its deposits of guano. To Laysan at the close of 

 October and in early November each year come 

 thousands of Laysan and sooty albatross to mate 

 and rear their young. The chicks, as woolly as 

 lambs, one in a family, are slow in development, so 

 that they do not attain their growth until May or 

 June. The parents care for them assiduously until 

 summer, when the young are grown but are still 

 unable to fly, and then wander off to sea, leaving 



