so USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 



<-ld()i'<)j)iLx Lath., c-iilled "puhital" by tlic natives, excellent for food, 

 and easily distinguished by a red shield on its forehead; three birds 

 called '• kalalano," the Pacilic godwit, Liuiom Iaj>ponu:a />'«;/e;v*(Naiim.), 

 the Australian curlew, Xiuiteniu^ eya nojmsWQiW. ^ often seen on newly 

 tilled tields, and the oriental whimbrel Numeniim plmeopus variegatuH 

 (Scop.), somewhat smaller, usually seen at periods of migration; and 

 the wideh' spread snipe, GaUinago ntegala Swinh. Among the shore 

 ])irds called by the general name "dulili'' are the gray and white 

 Asiatic wandering tattler, Ileteractitls hrevljjes Vieill. ; the bullhead 

 or l)lack-bellied plover, Sqaatarola aquatarola (L.); the well-known 

 Asiatic golden plover, Clxiradrius (hnidnicvs fulvus (Gm.), very 

 common on cultivated tields and along the shores of the island; the 

 Mongolian sand dotterel, AegialUis )iiongola{y?i\\.)\ and the common 

 turnstone, Arenaria Interpres (L.), which may be easily distinguished 

 from the rest by its bright ^^ellow feet. A duck. Anas oustaleti Salv., 

 called ugaanga by the natives, is peculiar to the Marianne islands. It 

 is closely allied to species occurring in Hawaii and Samoa. 



Sea birds. — No gulls are found in the vicinity of the island. Nod- 

 dies, Anous leucocapillun Gould and Ancnis stolidus (L. ), called " fjihan," 

 by the natives, are common. The beautiful snow-white tern, Gygis 

 nihil l-IttUtzl Hartert, called "chuiige" by the natives breeds on the 

 island in great numbei'o, not making a nest but laying its single white 

 Qgg on the bare branch of a tree. The common booby Sula sula (L.), 

 is common in the vicinity of the island. Great numbers of them may 

 alwa3^s be seen off the coast of Orote Peninsula, and the red-footed 

 ])Ooby {Sula piscairix L.) with white plumage, also occurs. They 

 pursue iiying fish, and dart into the water from great heights. The 

 frigate bird, Fregata aquila (L.), called "payaava" by the natives, is 

 not rare, but is seldom seen near the shore of Guam. The tropic 

 bird, Pliaethon lepturus Daudin, nests on the northern islands of the 

 group." 



REPTILES.* 



There are few reptiles in Guam. The most conspicuous is a large 

 lizard {Yaranus sp.) about 4 feet long, of a black color speckled with 

 lemon-yellow dots. The combination of these colors gives to the ani- 

 mal a greenish appearance as it runs through the Inishes. As in the 

 Guam kingfisher or "sihig'' we have a lizard-eating bird, so in this 

 animal, called "hilitai" by the natives, we have a bird-eating lizard. 



" Students of ornithology are referred to the report of Quoy and Gaiuiard in the 

 zoology of the Freycinet Expedition; Oustalet's "les raamniiferes et les oiseaux des 

 lies Mariannes;" Hartert "on the birds of the Marianne Islands;" and Seale's 

 " Report of a mission to Guam." See list ( *" works. 



'' I am indebted to Dr. Leonard Stejneger, of the U. S. National Museum, for the 

 names of the rejjtiles. 



