of a Voyage round the World. 37 



4. SULA LEUCOGASTRA (Bodd.). 



Sulci sulci Grant, Cat. B. xxvi. p. 436. 



One adult and two young. Bill yellowish ; tarsi and feet 

 pale green (adult). 



This Booby was certainly the most abundant bird on the 

 islands. Its two eggs were laid on the bare rock, and were 

 in every case surrounded by dead and decomposing flying- 

 fishes. On Booby Hill it was impossible to walk without 

 touching the birds. The half-grown young were far more 

 spiteful than the adults and several of them chased us down 

 the hill, biting at our legs. 



Having stayed at St. Paul's Rocks for nearly two days we 

 left on Dec. 18th. On the 19th we went through the 

 ceremony of " Crossing the Line." The next day we 

 reached Fernando Noronha, about 100 miles south of the 

 Equator. This island, which is some 200 miles from the 

 nearest point of South America, is a Brazilian penal settle- 

 ment; there are about 250 convicts there (all murderers), 

 but prisoners are no longer sent to the island. There was 

 a heavy surf breaking on the shore, but we landed without 

 much difficulty and climbed to land over the rocks. Fortu- 

 nately there were two English telegraph-operators on the 

 island, and through them we were able to obtain per- 

 mission to collect. The Governor, who could only speak 

 Portuguese, was most obliging, and invited me into his garden 

 to shoot birds. The next morning we rode across the island 

 on ponies. The convicts have to work only a few hours a 

 day, and most of them have houses of their own to live 

 in. These houses are scattered all over the island, but 

 every evening a bugle is blown and the prisoners have to 

 assemble at a call-over. 



The most abundant bird on the island is a Dove. 

 Tropic-birds and Frigate-birds are also fairly plentiful ; the 

 latter were breeding high up on a neighbouring islet, StJ* 

 Michael's Mount. I also saw a pair of Gygis Candida flying 

 over the island. There are two species of lizards on the 

 island, one of which is peculiar to it, and the other Braziliau. 



