Report of a Visit to Mid'ccay Island . 43 



Diomedea nigripes Aud. — Black-footed Albatross. 



Everywhere ou Eastern Island great heaps, waist high, of 

 dead albatrosses were found. Thousands upon thousands of both 

 species had been killed with clubs, the wing and breast feathers 

 stripped off to be sold as hat trimmings, or for other purposes, and 

 the carcasses thrown in heaps to rot. After my acquaintance with 

 the colony of bird pirates on Marcus Island it was but too appar- 

 ent that a similar gang had been in full operation at Midway not 

 many months prior to our visit, and that they had worked sad 

 havoc among the birds there, in spite of the severe warning which 

 had been given by Captain Niblack, of the Iroquois, to a party 

 similarly engaged the season before. The work of exterminating 

 the Midway colony was surely well under way, and I was con- 

 vinced that unless something definite was done, and that at once, 

 to prevent such wanton destrudliou , before long this colony of 

 albatrosses, as doubtless all those on the low outlying islands, 

 would be wnped out precisely as the one on Marcus Island had been. 



On my return to Honolulu I took the matter up with the proper 

 officials in Washington, among others addressing a letter to the 

 Chief Executive, with the result that the subject was brought to 

 the attention of the various cabinet officers concerned. With the 

 cooperation of Dr. Henry Palmer, of the U. S. Biological Survey, 

 together with the energetic services of Mr. Wm. Butcher, Presi- 

 dent of the Audubon Societies, to whom the whole matter of bird 

 protedlion for the Pacific had been presented in person by the 

 writer, most satisfactory results have been obtained. A naval 

 vessel will in the future make at least two patrol trips each year to 

 the outlying islands of the Hawaiian group to break up or prevent 

 further depredations. The officers and men stationed on Midway 

 have strict orders to protect the bird colonies there. The fishing 

 rights to certain of the outlying islands will only be let by the 

 Territory, with special clauses protedting the bird colonies thereon; 

 while the Japanese Government will in future refuse to allow preda- 

 tory hunting and fishing vessels to leave Japanese ports. 



PROCEIvLARIID^. 



Priofinus cuneatus (Salvin).— Wedge-tailed Shearwater. 



This species was only occasionally met with under the bushes 

 on the mounds on Sand Island, while on Eastern the whole interior 



[297] 



