^"loi^'^l Wells, Birdsi of the Island of Curriacou. 



1902 



J \v ELLS, tSirds of tlie isCana of K^arriacoii. 2 "JQ 



1. Podilymbus podiceps {Linn.). Grebe; Diver. — This bird is not 

 numerous ; one or two may occasionally be found in the Lauriston and 

 Union Swamps. It is very shy, and will dive immediate!}' on the approach 

 of any one, and as it is capable of remaining a considerable time under 

 water, and has the habit of rising and just keeping its bill above the sur- 

 face, it can easily evade notice. 



2. Larus atricilla Linn. Laughing Gull; ^Iauve. — This gull is a 

 familiar figure all round the coast of the island ; large flocks may often 

 be seen sitting on the water, or attending the flocks of Pelicans and 

 demanding their share of each bird's catch, which thev often take from 

 the mouth of the pelican, uttering their laughing cry all the while, which 

 the fishermen declare to be halj, half half. As these gulls cannot dive, 

 they have to depend for their food on the shoals of sprats and fry that come 

 up to the surface, and they have been known to take large bites from the 

 backs of a fish called corvally which swims near the surface in large 

 numbers. After heavy falls of rain, when the pastures are covered with 

 numerous rain pools, these gulls resort to them in numbers and feed on 

 the earth worms which SAvarm in the pools ; this may often be seen, 

 especially in the Beausejour pasture. The birds are very fearless and 

 tame and will allow any one to approach them quite closeh' ; if one of 

 the birds should be shot and wounded, others will hover over and around 

 it, with cries of distress. They breed on the islets, Isle-de-Iarge being a 

 favorite one, in the months of May and June. No nest is made, the eggs, 

 three to four, being laid on the bare rocks in little depressions, and 

 occasionally in a tuft of grass. The nests are sometimes so numerous 

 and close together that one can hardly walk about without treading 

 on the eggs. When the young are hatched the parent birds go out at an 

 early hour, with much noise, to their feeding places ; about 5 A. m. they 

 commence to fly in large numbers from Isle-de-large over Hermitage to 

 the bays on the western side, and from 4 p. m. to dusk they keep returning, 

 laughing and calling to each other all the while. They sometimes fly so 

 low across the yard that they might be caught with the hand or struck 

 with a stick. 



The eggs, generally three and occasionally four in number, are dark 

 buff with splashes of brown, sometimes forming a ring round the larger 

 end; they measure 2.30 X 1-85, 2.15 X i 70, 2.45 X 1.75. 



3. Sterna maxima Bodd. Royal Tern. — This beautiful bird is not 

 numerous ; seldom more than four or five are seen at a time, fishing and 

 uttering occasionally a harsh grating note. They are fond of perching on 

 buoys or floating bits of wood, the little logs which serve to mark the fish- 

 pots being a favorite roost for them. They breed on the rocks; but I 

 have hitherto been unsuccessful in procuring their eggs. As I write there 

 are a few of then fishing in Hermitage Bay ; it is interesting to watch their 

 quick plunges at the fish. 



4. Sterna dougalli Mo7itag. Roseate Tern; Carrect. — A few 

 vears ago these birds used to frequent Jack-a-dan Island, off the Port of 



