THE ANIJIAL LIFE OF THE GROUP. 317 



Nesting Habits of the ]\Ian-o'-Wae Birds. 



Of the large sea-birds on Laysau, the uesting haljits of the great inan-o'- 

 war birds are second in interest only to those of the albatross. Though its 

 habits have gained for it the most undesirable of repiitations among its fel- 

 lows, the species is worthy of more than passing notice. Their nests are rude 

 structures of sticks and vines, in bulk the size of a bushel basket, that are 

 placed on top of the low bushes. On a desert sand island it is not an easy 

 task to secure the necessary material for the hundreds of nests required by 

 the birds in a colony of the size of that on Laysan, As a result the birds have 

 become notorious thieves, stealing from each other without the slightest regard 

 for the ordinary rules governing the possession of house-building materials 

 among birds. When both the owners of a nest chance to leave it at the same 

 time, if only for a few minutes, their neighbors will greedily carry it away, 

 often not leaving a single vestige of the nest to mark the former home of the 

 absent owners. 



Both sexes sit on the single large wliite egg. turn about, seldom leaving it 

 for an instant day or night for fear it will be broken and the nest stolen by 

 their neighbors. They are forced to keep even a closer watch over the naked 

 young than over the egg in the nest, to prevent their defenseless chicks from being 

 carried off and devoured. 



In securing their daily rations they have acquired a skill that makes the 

 acts of an ordinary highwayman seem commonplace. Their habit is to estab- 

 lish their colony in the neighborhood of a boobj- colony. Here they patrol 

 the island up and down, out over the open sea, a few hundred yards from 

 shore, l.yiug in wait for the return of the indu-strious boobies and tropic birds 

 that have been out sea-fishing. As the birds near the shore heavily laden with 

 fish, the man-o"-war bird gives chase, often a flock of these winged pirates 

 focusing their attack on a single booby. They fly over it, in front of it, 

 and pick it and otherwise buffet and molest it, until, in self-defense, the eon- 

 fused bird lets go its catch of fish one by one. The fish are eagerly caught up 

 in mid-air by the assailants and the attack renewed, until, more times than 

 not, the booby, after a hard day's work securing food for her family, arrives 



« DESORipTtox OF Plate. 



1. Albatross eggs. The manager of the guano company at one time packed down a few 

 barrels of eggs for use by the laborers, but eggs were never exported from the island. The 

 picture here shown and often published was especially arranged for spectacular photographic 

 effect. 2. Black-footed Albatross in the Make of a steamer. Both the black and the white 

 species follow ships at sea and are called gooneys by the sailors. 3, 4. Two views of an 

 enraged Eed-footed Booby. 5. Bristle-thighed Curlews roosting on a pile of guano rock. 

 6. Colony of Hawaiian Terns — all facing to windward, a habit of sea-birds. 7. Eed-tailed 

 Tropic Bird on the nest. 8. Family grouj) of Blue-faced Boobies. 9. Sooty Tei'u with egg. 

 10. Laysan AUiatiuss — tlie end of the dance. 11. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters at home. 12. 

 Young Laysan AlW.it in^-^s ; partly fledged. 13. Miller Bird and nest. 14. Hawaiian Tern on a 

 bush of Chenopiiihiiiii Smulificheum. 15. Laysan canary nest and eggs. 16. Group of Jlan-o'- 

 war Birds on the nest. 17. General view on Laysan looking to the east across the salt water 

 lagoon. 



