THE BOOBY AND THE MAN-O'-WAR BIRD 



On March 28, 1907, with Dr. Alfred G. Mayer in com- 

 mand, and George Shiras, 3d., I sailed from Miami for Cay 

 Verde ? some thirty miles east of the Ragged Islands, to se- 

 cure studies and material for a group of the Boobies (Sula 

 leucogastra) and Man-o'-War Birds which were reported to 

 breed there. We were aboard the ' ' Physalia, ' ' a 56-foot 

 ketch, with a 20-horse-power engine, belonging to the Marine 

 Biological Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution, which 

 Dr. Mayer, the Director of the Laboratory, after establish- 

 ing a temporary laboratory at Nassau, placed at the dis- 

 posal of the Museum for the proposed trip. 



In reassuring contrast to our equipment on the 

 "Gloria", we now had every desirable chart of the Baha- 

 mas, and employed a pilot whenever we entered unknown 

 waters. At sunset we passed through the narrow cut be- 

 tween Gun Cay and Cat Cay and came to anchor for the 

 night. The following morning we got under way at half past 

 three and, using the engine in the face of light head winds, 

 reached the so-called "Northwest Passage" at two o'clock, 

 and dropped anchor in Nassau harbor at midnight. For- 

 tunately we did not know this was to be not only our best, 

 but virtually our only good day's run during the month 

 which our expedition required. 



It was ten o 'clock the next morning before the health offi- 

 cer of the port, for whom we were obliged to send a messen- 

 ger, examined our papers and permitted us to land. But in 

 marked contrast to this leisurely way of doing business 

 which on a former occasion kept us aboard our boat from 

 four in the afternoon until the following morning the Gov- 

 ernor, Sir William Grey- Wilson, promptly consented to 

 grant the permit which, in accordance with the law passed 



