﻿336 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  Hartert 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  

  

  not 
  to 
  say 
  dangerous. 
  The 
  water 
  was 
  deep 
  in 
  places 
  and 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  very 
  rough, 
  consisting 
  of 
  very 
  sharp 
  corals, 
  and 
  

   often 
  of 
  a 
  deceitful 
  crust 
  of 
  salt 
  or 
  saltpetre, 
  under 
  which 
  

   the 
  water 
  was 
  black 
  and 
  very 
  deep. 
  It 
  required 
  much 
  care 
  

   to 
  avoid 
  these 
  bad 
  places, 
  and 
  it 
  took 
  us, 
  I 
  think, 
  nearly 
  an 
  

   hour 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  nests. 
  Our 
  shoes 
  being 
  cut 
  by 
  the 
  corals, 
  

   our 
  feet 
  began 
  to 
  bleed, 
  and 
  the 
  salt 
  water 
  caused 
  an 
  un- 
  

   pleasant 
  tingling 
  in 
  the 
  little 
  wouuds. 
  The 
  nests 
  themselves 
  

   were 
  flat 
  plateaus, 
  standing 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  six 
  

   inches, 
  the 
  water 
  round 
  them 
  being 
  apparently 
  very 
  shallow, 
  

   but 
  it 
  was 
  often 
  the 
  fatal 
  crust 
  that 
  caused 
  this 
  appearance, 
  

   not 
  the 
  proper 
  bottom. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  were 
  close 
  together 
  

   and 
  sometimes 
  connected 
  by 
  dry 
  ground. 
  They 
  were 
  quite 
  

   hard, 
  so 
  that 
  one 
  could 
  stand 
  on 
  them, 
  and 
  almost 
  the 
  only 
  

   way 
  of 
  getting 
  along 
  was 
  to 
  jump 
  from 
  one 
  nest 
  to 
  the 
  other. 
  

   The 
  nests 
  consisted 
  of 
  clay, 
  hardened 
  by 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  pene- 
  

   trated 
  and 
  overcrusted 
  with 
  salt, 
  and 
  of 
  pieces 
  of 
  coral, 
  with 
  a 
  

   distinct 
  concavity 
  in 
  the 
  centre. 
  On 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  we 
  

   found 
  freslily-broken 
  eggs 
  of 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  Tern, 
  and 
  

   lying 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  I 
  found 
  two 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Flamingo, 
  which 
  

   turned 
  out 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  fresh 
  and 
  eatable, 
  although 
  they 
  must 
  

   have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  After 
  the 
  breeding- 
  

   place 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Chogogo 
  " 
  had 
  been 
  thus 
  disturbed, 
  these 
  shy 
  

   birds 
  left 
  the 
  spot 
  and 
  flew 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  

   I 
  am 
  told 
  that 
  they 
  change 
  their 
  breeding-places 
  very 
  often. 
  

   The 
  two 
  eggs 
  measure 
  3*35 
  and 
  3'45 
  inches 
  by 
  2' 
  13 
  and 
  

   216. 
  

  

  Except 
  leaving 
  them 
  of 
  a 
  colour 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  boiled 
  lobster, 
  , 
  

   this 
  pleasant 
  trip 
  had 
  no 
  evil 
  result 
  on 
  my 
  legs, 
  but 
  my 
  guide, 
  

   the 
  faithful 
  policeman 
  of 
  Mijnheer 
  van 
  den 
  Brandhof, 
  lost 
  

   the 
  entire 
  skin 
  of 
  his, 
  and 
  could 
  not 
  go 
  out 
  for 
  some 
  days 
  

   afterwards. 
  

  

  33. 
  Pelecanus 
  fuscus, 
  Linn. 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  flocks 
  of 
  this 
  Pelican 
  at 
  sea 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  shore. 
  

  

  34. 
  Fregata 
  AQuiLA 
  (Linn.). 
  

  

  I 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  the 
  Frigate-bird 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  myself, 
  but 
  I 
  

   am 
  assured 
  that 
  it 
  not 
  rarely 
  occurs 
  there. 
  

  

  