﻿210 
  Mr. 
  L. 
  W. 
  Wigleswortli 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  does 
  not 
  allow 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  wheat. 
  In 
  general 
  the 
  

   vegetation 
  here 
  is 
  very 
  poor, 
  and 
  consists 
  only 
  of 
  gramineous 
  

   plants 
  and 
  small 
  herbs. 
  The 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  stream 
  form 
  

   an 
  exception, 
  and 
  here 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  a 
  few 
  shrubs 
  and 
  a 
  

   few 
  plain-looking 
  flowers. 
  

  

  '' 
  Here, 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  my 
  first 
  excursions, 
  in 
  walking 
  upwards 
  

   along 
  the 
  small 
  stream 
  I 
  fell 
  in 
  with 
  this 
  Finch, 
  which 
  

   strikes 
  the 
  eye 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  by 
  its 
  beautiful 
  orange- 
  

   rufous 
  plumage. 
  It 
  is 
  commonly 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  pairs, 
  and 
  

   often 
  rests 
  a 
  long 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  dead 
  twigs 
  of 
  the 
  shrubs, 
  

   flying 
  away 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  anyone 
  approaches. 
  Consequently 
  

   I 
  have 
  often 
  tried 
  in 
  vain 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  shot 
  at 
  it. 
  Sometimes 
  

   I 
  followed 
  these 
  birds 
  far 
  upwards 
  along 
  the 
  stream, 
  where 
  

   the 
  shrubs 
  are 
  found 
  more 
  sparingly 
  ; 
  then 
  the 
  birds 
  rose 
  in 
  

   the 
  air, 
  and, 
  flying 
  high 
  over 
  my 
  head, 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  

   where 
  I 
  first 
  met 
  with 
  them, 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  to 
  recommence 
  the 
  

   laborious 
  pursuit 
  on 
  a 
  difiicult 
  and 
  rocky 
  ground. 
  Therefore 
  

   I 
  did 
  not 
  succeed 
  in 
  obtaining 
  more 
  than 
  this 
  single 
  specimen. 
  

  

  " 
  Although 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  observed 
  the 
  bird, 
  I 
  never 
  heard 
  

   its 
  song. 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  pairs. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  a 
  very 
  local 
  species, 
  as 
  I 
  never 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  other 
  

   similar 
  places. 
  The 
  stupid 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  did 
  not 
  

   know 
  the 
  bird, 
  nor 
  could 
  they 
  give 
  me 
  a 
  name 
  for 
  it.^' 
  

  

  XVII. 
  — 
  Remarks 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  Islands. 
  

  

  By 
  L. 
  W. 
  WiGLESWORTH. 
  

  

  The 
  Gilbert 
  Islands, 
  recently 
  taken 
  under 
  British 
  protection*, 
  

   consist 
  of 
  twelve 
  atolls, 
  or 
  rings 
  of 
  coral 
  islets 
  encircling 
  a 
  

   lagoon, 
  and 
  of 
  four 
  other 
  small 
  coral 
  islands. 
  All 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  

   " 
  low 
  " 
  description, 
  as 
  distinguished 
  from 
  " 
  high 
  " 
  islands 
  of 
  

   volcanic 
  origin, 
  like 
  Tahiti 
  and 
  Ponape, 
  or 
  of 
  upheaved 
  coral, 
  

   like 
  Savage 
  Island 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  dry 
  ground, 
  formed 
  of 
  coral 
  

   sand 
  and 
  fragments 
  of 
  shells 
  thrown 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  waves, 
  nowhere 
  

   rises 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific. 
  According 
  to 
  a 
  computation 
  made 
  

  

  * 
  [The 
  British 
  flag 
  was 
  hoisted 
  on 
  Apamana 
  Island 
  by 
  Capt. 
  Davis, 
  of 
  

   H.M.S. 
  ' 
  Eoyalist; 
  on 
  May 
  27th, 
  1892. 
  See 
  111. 
  Lond. 
  News, 
  vol. 
  101, 
  

   p. 
  325 
  (Sept. 
  10th, 
  1892).— 
  Ed.] 
  

  

  