312 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



eveu more alike if possible than the birds, and a description of one will suffice 

 for both. They are usually a little smaller than a bantam chicken egg:, and 

 clear grayish-white, variously splotched and mottled with clove-brown, varied 

 often with lilac markings. 



The sooty tern'" is a lieaiitiful, graceful species common in the waters 

 about the islands. It may be identitied by its typical tern-like flight and the 

 fact that the upper parts are sooty-black while the under parts, foi'ehead and 

 a narrow stripe over the eye, are white. 



Two or tiu'ee species of small, tube-nosed swimmers that skim singly, or 

 in pairs, over the watei-, that all pass in the distance as "mutton birds." are 

 a.s liable to be one as the other of the wedge-tailed shearwater," the Christ- 

 mas Island shearwater,'- the Boniu petrel.'-' or the Hawaiian jietrel.'^ 



Where careful identification is possilile they may prove to be something 

 very different, however, and it- is unsafe to hazard more than a guess as to 

 the name of a species seen on the wing at sea. Fortunately, there is no ground 

 fcir uncci-tainty in the identification of the large, tube-nose swimmers. 



Albatross. 



The black-footed albatross '-■> is soot\--brown all over, while the Laysan Island 

 albatross'" has the abdomen white. Both species are about the size of a large 

 goose and are called gooneys by the sailors. They both follow vessels cross- 

 ing the Pacific, for hundreds of miles on their journeys to and from the islands. 

 Not infrequently a flock of three or foiir birds will follow a steamer for days, 

 eagerly seizing the bits of waste that may "he thrown overboard fi-om the 

 cooks' galley. 



]Man-o'-War Bird. 



The majestic black man-o'-war i" bird, often little more than a mere speck in 

 the clear blue sky, is easily recognized as it sails high overhead, circling round 

 and round for hours at a time without the slightest apparent effort ; they are 

 objects of never-failing interest, serving often as a welcome diversion to 

 relieve the monotonous round of daily life on board an ocean liner in the 

 tropics. 



Int(>restiiig as the Hawaiian species of sea-birds may be when on the wing, 

 their home life is a great deal more so, and fortunate indeed is the (lerson who 

 is able to spend a few days in one of the large colonies to be found on all of 

 the smaller uninhabited islands that lie to the northwest of Kauai. 



Birds of Lavsan Island. 



Laysan is iicrhajis the largest sea-liird colony in the tropics, and its teem- 

 ing hordes of bird inhabitants nuiy .uistly claim for it a place as one (if the 

 gi-eat natural wonders of the world. The island itself is scarcely U\n and a 



liiiii.1 runeatKS. i=/>»j»wii.« iiiitii-ilalis. "■ .lUh-clnta UuimU-ik-u. 



'' Vionu-ilfa nisriin-s. " DiumnUu imuuilabilii: ^' Vrt-gatn iitiiiiln. 



