﻿Birds 
  of 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  Islands. 
  213 
  

  

  ' 
  Birds 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand 
  ' 
  (1888) 
  ; 
  but, 
  sliould 
  the 
  species 
  

   breed 
  in 
  the 
  Marshall 
  Islands, 
  it 
  must 
  of 
  necessity 
  care 
  for 
  

   its 
  own 
  eggs 
  and 
  young, 
  " 
  since 
  land-birds, 
  which 
  could 
  serve 
  

   as 
  foster-parents, 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  absent" 
  (Mitth. 
  orn. 
  Ver. 
  

   viii. 
  p. 
  126). 
  

  

  Other 
  interesting 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  Islands 
  are 
  the 
  

   northern 
  winter 
  migrants, 
  Charadrius 
  fulvus, 
  Strepsilas 
  in- 
  

   terpres, 
  and 
  Actitis 
  inccma 
  ; 
  single 
  individuals 
  of 
  these, 
  ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Finsch, 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  everywhere 
  amongst 
  

   the 
  atolls 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  One 
  is 
  led 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  

   such 
  specimens, 
  as, 
  perhaps, 
  also 
  the 
  Cuckoo, 
  are 
  stragglers 
  

   which 
  have 
  lost 
  their 
  way 
  and 
  all 
  sense 
  of 
  their 
  whereabouts, 
  

   and 
  remain 
  prisoners 
  through 
  not 
  knowing 
  whither 
  to 
  fly. 
  

  

  The 
  sea-birds 
  noted 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Finsch 
  belong 
  to 
  wide-spread 
  

   species. 
  The 
  Skua 
  seen, 
  but 
  not 
  determined, 
  may, 
  perhaps, 
  

   have 
  been 
  Lestris 
  hardyi, 
  Bp., 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  which 
  came 
  from 
  

   the 
  Pacific 
  between 
  the 
  Philippine 
  and 
  Sandwich 
  Islands, 
  and 
  

   which 
  remains, 
  so 
  far, 
  the 
  only 
  Skua 
  recorded 
  from 
  Polynesia*. 
  

  

  Prior 
  to 
  Dr. 
  FinscVs 
  expedition, 
  the 
  islands 
  were 
  surveyed 
  

   between 
  1822-25 
  by 
  the 
  'Coquille,'' 
  but 
  no 
  ornithological 
  

   notes 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  made. 
  Again, 
  they 
  were 
  visited 
  by 
  

   Hudson, 
  the 
  companion 
  of 
  Wilkes, 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States' 
  

   Exploring 
  Expedition, 
  1838-42, 
  and 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  four 
  

   common 
  sea-birds 
  were 
  recorded, 
  A 
  note 
  of 
  Pickering, 
  in 
  the 
  

   volume 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  anthropology 
  of 
  the 
  expedition 
  (ix. 
  

   p. 
  313), 
  mentions 
  that 
  fowls 
  also 
  were 
  seen 
  : 
  these 
  '' 
  were 
  not 
  

   eaten, 
  but 
  kept 
  in 
  cages 
  for 
  fighting 
  purposes.^' 
  At 
  Nawodo, 
  

   a 
  high 
  island 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  inhabited, 
  according 
  

   to 
  Meinicke, 
  by 
  Gilbert-Islanders, 
  Dr. 
  Finsch 
  saw 
  Strepsilas 
  

   interpres 
  kept 
  in 
  neatly-made 
  cages 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  purpose. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  Islands 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  

   no 
  small 
  land-birds, 
  it 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  find 
  an 
  early 
  observa- 
  

   tion 
  suggestive 
  of 
  the 
  contrary 
  made 
  by 
  Kotzebue 
  on 
  the 
  sea 
  

   between 
  this 
  group 
  and 
  the 
  Ellice 
  Islands 
  to 
  the 
  south. 
  It 
  

   seems 
  probable 
  that 
  some 
  land 
  intervenes 
  in 
  this 
  space, 
  for 
  

   Kotzebue 
  passed 
  over 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  second 
  voyage. 
  " 
  From 
  lat. 
  5°S. 
  

  

  * 
  Mr. 
  Saunders 
  (P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1876, 
  p, 
  331) 
  refers 
  LestrU 
  hardyi 
  to 
  Sterco- 
  

   rarius 
  parasiticus, 
  Eb. 
  

  

  SER. 
  VI. 
  VOL. 
  V. 
  Q 
  

  

  