BOOBIES 3 



jump. At one moment the rock towered above 

 us, at the next the boat flew upwards until it was 

 level with the landing place then was the time 

 to jump, and as one jumped the boat was pulled 

 out clear of the surf. Thus one by one we landed 

 safely. 



As soon as we were ashore we noticed a vast 

 number of crabs* crawling about in all directions. 

 Some of these crabs were of a green colour ; these 

 were the smaller and more numerous, perhaps the 

 younger ones, while others, which were larger, 

 were of a bright vermilion. 



The landing place we had chosen was at the 

 foot of the highest peak, which Moseley calls 

 Booby Hill,f and certainly this name is well 

 chosen, for the peak was covered with boobies, 

 a species of gannet Sula leucogaster and their 

 nests were so close together that it was almost 

 impossible to walk without stepping on either eggs 

 or young. The young boobies, sometimes two 

 in a nest, were of all ages, from bare, newly-hatched 

 chicks to fully-fledged young. 



The nest of this gannet is merely a collection of 

 old and dirty feathers and loose stones. Round 

 about each nest were quantities of flying fishes 

 in all stages of decay, brought there and disgorged 

 by the parent birds as food for the young. The 

 freshest part of this food supply, we soon discovered, 



* Qrapsus strigosus. 



f " Notes of a Naturalist on H.M.S. ' Challenger.' " 



