THE COMPLETED ATOLL. 243 



apparently unconscious that the world contained an enemy. 

 J. D. Hague gives an account of the birds of Jarvis's and 

 some other uninhabited islands in the equatorial Pacific, in 

 which it appears that, after all, there is evil doing even among 

 tropical birds. He gives the following facts : — 



'• From fifteen to twenty varieties of birds may be dis- 

 tinguished among those frequenting the islands, of which the 

 ])rincipal are the Gannets and Boobies, Frigate Birds, Tropic 

 Birds, Tern, Noddies, Petrels, and some game birds, as the 

 Curlew, Snipe, and Plover. Of Terns there are several species^ 

 the most numerously represented of which is what I believe 

 to be the Sterna hirundo. These frequent the island twice in 

 the year for the purpose of breeding. They rest on the 

 ground, making no nests, but selecting tufts of grass, where 

 such may be found, under which to lay their eggs. I have 

 seen acres of ground thus thickly covered by these birds, 

 whose numbers might be told by millions. Between the 

 breeding seasons they diminish considerably in numbers, 

 though they never entirely desert the island. They are expert 

 fishers, and venture far out to sea in quest of prey. The 

 Noddies {Sterna stolida) are also very numerous. They are 

 black birds, somewhat larger than pigeons, with much longer 

 wings, and are very simple and stupid. They burrow holes 

 in the guano, in which they live and raise their young, 

 generally inhabiting that part of the deposit which is shallowest 

 and driest. Their numbers seem to be about the same 

 throughout the year. The Gannet and Booby, two closely 

 allied species (of the genus Sula), are represented by two or 

 three varieties. They are large birds, and great devourers 

 of fish, which they take very expertly, not only catching those 

 that leap out of the water, but diving beneath the surface for 

 them. They are very awkward and unwieldy on land, and 

 may be easily overtaken and captured, if indeed they attempt 

 to escape at all on the approach of man. They rest on the 

 trees wherever there is opportunity, but in these islands 

 they collect in great groups on the ground, where they lay 

 their eggs and raise their young. One variety, not very 



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