4:9C^ GUAM AND ITS PEOPLE. 



iur\'('d beaks, black starling.s, a crow, a tawny-and-blue kingfisher 

 (Halc3^on), which preys on lizards and insects instead of fish, the swift 

 that makes edible nests, a little flycatcher named for De Freycinet, a 

 small Zosterops with olive-green and yellow plumage, two rails (Hypo- 

 tffinidia and Poliolimnas), and a gallinule, which frequent the swamps 

 and taro patches; and along the shores a heron, a bittern, two curlews, 

 the Pacific godwit, several sandpipers, plover, the wandering tattler, 

 sanderling, snipe, and turnstones. The only bird of prey known to 

 occur is the widely spread short-eared owl,'^' called momo by the 

 nati\'os. The most beautiful of the ])irds are the fruit doves, one of 

 which '' belongs to a group widcl}' spread in the Pacific, having rosy 

 crowns, green backs, and yellow, purple, and orange plumage on the 

 under surface. The onl}^ song l)ird is the reed warbler,^' a modest 

 bird Ijearing a general resemblance to our catbird and having an 

 exquisite song. 



Among introduced species arc the l)cautit"ul little Chinese partridge,'' 

 brought to the island in recent years by Don Pedro Duarte, and the 

 Philippine turtledove. There is also a fruit-eating dove, interesting 

 from the great dissimilarity between the adult male and the female.' 

 The former, called "apaka" by the natives, is considerably the larger 

 and has a white head. The latter, called "paloman kunau," is of an 

 almost uniform chocolate color. The natives think them to be dift'er- 

 ent birds which live together. 



The best game bird is a wild duck, Anaj^ oi/sttdet/, a species peculiar 

 to the island, but closely allied to Ajias ,<<tij)ercili(iris, which occurs in 

 Samoa. Curlew, gallinules, plover, and doves are also hunted by the 

 natives for food.-^ 



Among the reptiles are a large lizard (Varannus) which rol)s bird's- 

 nests and eats 3'oung chickens and pigeons, a blue-tailed skink, one or 

 two geckos which frequent the houses of the natives and run al)out 

 the ceilings and walls catching insects, and a small snake (Tvphl<)])s), 

 very nuich in general appearance like an earth worm, but with a hard, 

 glossy skin composed of minute scales. 



Several species of land crabs occur, including the curious Biiyus 

 latro^ or "robber crab," kept by the natives in captivity and fattened 

 on cocoanuts for the table. In the streams there are shrimps and on 

 the shores spiny lobsters; both of thes(^ are highly esteemed for food. 

 A full list of the fishes and birds is given in the report of the director 



« jUio (iccipltrinus. 

 f> Plilinopus roseicapillus. 

 <^ AcrocephaJus luscinia. 

 'i Excaljadoria sinensis. 

 ^ Phlegcnias .rdnthontira. 



../See "Birds of the Mariamu^ iHlands and flu'ir vcmaculur luinies," by W. E. 

 Safford, The Osprey, March-April, 1902. 



