764 NATURAL HISTORY OF ALDABKA ISLAND — AIJISOTT. 



situated upon the south end of the (lloi ioso bank. The bauk is about 

 8 miles louy by 2 in width. lie dii Lise lies at the north end of the 

 bank. 



Glorioso Island contains about 700 acres, beinji' 1^ miles long by 1 mile 

 wide. It is partly covered with sand hills 50 to (50 feet high. Formerly 

 it was almost entirely covered with a growtli of '')>orche," "bois 

 rose," "fouche" and other large trees, but at present many have been 

 cut down. The soil is unusually fertile for an oceanic island, having 

 been manured for ages by thousands of sea-birds. "Champignon," or 

 fossil — coral rock, such as composes Ahlabra, Cosmoledo, etc., exists ia 

 only a few spots, and the soil or sand is of fair depth. Large quanti- 

 ties of maize are groMu. Water from wells is of poor quality. Tliere 

 are live species of land-birds, three of which, a sun bird,* Zosterops^^ 

 and abulbul| are ]»robabIy peculiar. 



Common foAvls run wild in the jungle in considerable numbers. They 

 are very shy and not easy to shoot. Among sea-birds there is a booby, 

 which seems to be peculiar to the island. § They breed in large num- 

 bers upon the "fouche" trees, in company with frigates and common 

 boobies. 



Upon the neighboring small islet of Lise vast numbers of "Wide- 

 awake" terns {*sfe>'«/(/«/ir/mo,s'a) breed, together with "General" and 

 "(-aimcin" boobies [SuUt eytoiops and ^. piscator). A gecko {Hemhhic- 

 lyJuH mahouUi) and two other lizards, {Ableplt<(nis (jloriosu.s Stejneger, 

 Zonomurus niadaf/ascariensis) are plentiful. Numbers of wihl cats 

 range the jungle, so that birds are far less luimerous, individually, 

 than in Aldabra. 



* Cinnyris sonimaufja. 

 iZ. madagascurieusis. 

 i Ixocincla madarjoscariensis f 



vS Two species of boobies were collected by Dr. Abbott. Snla rjitoiops !iii(l .S. piscator, 

 but both of these are of very wide distribution. — K. K. 



