CHAPTER III. 



ST. PAUL'S ROCKS AND FERNANDO NORONHA. 



St. Paul's Rocks. Equatorial Current. Nests of Noddies. Predatory 

 Habits of Grapsns strigosiis. Fishing off the Rocks. Nests of 

 Boobies. Pugnacity of the Young Birds. Other Inhabitants of the 

 Rocks. Fishing for Cavalli with Salmon Tackle. Geological Struc- 

 ture of the Rocks. Seaweeds growing on tlie Rocks. Fernando 

 Noronha. Calcareous Sandrock containing Volcanic Intermixture. 

 Tree Shedding Leaves in Dry Season. Jatropha tireiis. Birds. 

 Brazilian Convicts. St. Michael's Mount. Frigate Birds Nesting. 

 Pigeons Nesting with Sea Birds. Lizards of the Islands. 



St. Paul's Rocks, August 28th and 29th, 1873.— The ship 

 arrived at St. Paul's Rocks on August 25th. The rocks are 

 about 540 miles distant from the coast of South America, and 

 35omiles from the island of Fernando Noronha. The group 

 of rocks is scarcely more than half a mile in circumference, 

 and their highest point is only 64 feet above sea level. 



At 5 P.M. the rocks were about half a mile from the ship. 

 Their smallness is the striking feature in their appearance as 

 they are approached. They show themselves as five small pro- 

 jecting peaks, which are black at their bases, and white with 

 birds' dung on their summits. A yellowish-white band shows 



ST. PAUL S ROCKS. 



out about tide mark. The sea was dashing up in foam at the 

 south-east end of the rocks, and a long line of breakers stretch- 

 ing from the opposite end marked the course of the equatorial 

 current. 



The birds were to be seen hovering over the island in 

 thousands. Only three kinds inhal)it it — two noddies and the 

 booby. The noddies {Atioiis stolidus and A. melanogenys) are 

 small terns or sea swallows, black all over, with the exception 

 of a small white patch on the head. The booby {Sula 



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