340 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



Feather Man, put up the little dog tent, which was 

 all that he had brought to shield him from the 

 weather, and started his three weeks ' Vigil. 



The birds were much tamer on Lysianski than on 

 the larger island, for the plume-hunters had not 

 been there, and Shan had abundant opportunities 

 to see and study the cake-walk of the Laysan Alba- 

 tross. It was a queer performance. One couple 

 which Shan watched for several hours and which 

 he photographed with his smaller camera, mean- 

 time snatching time to change plates and take a 

 few pictures with his larger camera, carried out 

 their queer antics on an open piece of ground, not 

 six feet away from where Shan was lying. 



First one of the birds approached the other, 

 making a curious squeaking cry, not unlike that of 

 a mouse. With every step forward he made a 

 bow to his partner, something like that of a Teeter, 

 but more gravely. The other bird, accepting the 

 invitation to dance, bowed gravely in return, not 

 once, but half a dozen times. Then they crossed 

 their bills, several times, as if fencing. The first 

 bird next turned his head on one side, as though 

 it were a position in dancing, and lifted his wing in 

 such a way that the primary feathers pointed out 

 to one side. His partner, turning slowly, com- 



