46 CORNWALL, A Trip to Oyster Cay, N. Queensland. [ Is f 'july 



showed, a mere fringe, to the eastward, and the white sands of 

 Upolu Bank glimmered right ahead. 



Nearing the bank the sea-birds could be seen hovering over 

 it in countless thousands, and one who has not had the oppor- 

 tunity of seeing these birds in their own domains could barely 

 credit the sight that was revealed to those who landed on the 

 Bank. I have seen a few bird rookeries in various places, but 

 nothing to compare with what we saw here — even the famous 

 Mutton-Bird rookeries suffered by contrast. The Bank, a mere 

 sand ridge of about three acres in extent, some two or three feet 

 above high water mark, and clothed with coarse grass and 

 mesembryanthemum, was one seething mass of bird life. The 

 birds were like a swarm of bees about a hive ; the little island 

 seemed just a quivering mass ; and the wind coming from them 

 brought evidence of their proximity to both hearing and smell. 

 The majority of the birds were the very much misnamed Sooty 

 Terns {Sterna fuliginosd), and the reflection of the bright green 

 shallow water upon the snow-white under parts of these birds 

 produced a pretty effect, giving them a beautiful sea-green tinge. 

 The sight which greeted us when we landed on Upolu Bank is 

 better described by the camera than the pen — birds were every- 

 where, eggs likewise, the latter so close together that it was 

 almost impossible to walk without treading on them. The 

 " rain " of guano was something to be remembered. The pretty 

 birds would barely deign to move out of the way. In some cases 

 they would allow themselves to be caught in preference to leaving 

 their eggs. Amongst the Terns, but on higher patches of sand, 

 were colonies of the Lesser Crested Terns (S. media), conspicuous 

 with their light-coloured plumage, jet black crests, and red bills. 

 There were also a few Noddies, and quite a number of Frigate- 

 Birds, but though one of the latter perched upon the only bush 

 upon the bank and seemed disposed to " sit " for me, he drew 

 the line at the focussing cloth. He was a noble fellow, sat quiet, 

 and seemed to take little interest whilst the camera was planted 

 at a few paces distance, but when the cloth began to flap he 

 evidently thought it would be well to be out of the road. 



I have often wondered how, on a great rookery like this, the 

 birds are able to identify their eggs, and after carefully watching 

 for a considerable time have come to the conclusion that they 

 are not at all particular whose egg they sit on. Although the 

 rookeries of different varieties are well defined, the whole are so 

 jumbled together that along the fringes where two varieties 

 meet the eggs are much intermingled, and in very many cases 

 Sooty Terns had taken possession of Lesser Crested Tern's eggs 

 and vice versa. 



Leaving Upolu a course was steered for Oyster Cay, which was 

 reached about noon, and proved a bitter disappointment to the 

 ornithologists and photographers of the party. A beche-de-mer 

 fisherman had established a station there, and most of the birds 

 had deserted it, those left being so wild that photographs could 



