The Zoologist — December, 1868. 1473 



builds in holes in the face of perpendicular rocks, and generally has 

 similar habits to the tropic bird, except flying lower and having always 

 a great curiosity to examine every passing boat, hovering a few yards 

 over one's head, peering inquisitively with its bright little eyes, and 

 evincing generally a desire to fraternise with strangers— an unfortunate 

 propensity in the white bird, for its advances are often met with a 

 charge of shot, and the poor little creature, which offers no mark for 

 skill, is quite useless when killed. 



3. The third on the list, and most numerous of the sea-birds, is 

 locally called the " Black Bird." It is the " Noddy" of sailors, or, if 

 not, so resembles it that some one with more precise knowledge than 

 I have would be required to state the points of difference. It is an 

 ugly bird, rusty black with a white head : it is heavy in flight, although 

 swift enough in darting on the fry which swarm near the surface of the 

 sea in warm weather. These are gregarious birds, and swarm on 

 certain rocks, whence they go forth to feed: they are most voracious, 

 and their power of digestion seems to be wonderful for its rapidity; 

 hence your friend who told you that guano was made by " black birds" 

 was not so far wrong. Putting aside the confusion caused by the 

 local name (which is no more absurd at St. Helena than in England), 

 he was perhaps quite right ; the black birds are always making it, and 

 were it not that a good deal of rain falls here, and that the rocks and 

 crags frequented by these birds are very steep, there would no doubt 

 be large accumulations of guano at St. Helena. 



4. There is one other sea-bird which only frequents the island for a 

 few months in the year to lay and hatch its-eggs, and then departs, 

 probably to cruize over the South Atlantic for the rest of the year. 

 The fishermen call it the " Egg-bird," because they collect the eggs 

 in the season, which are very much sought after as a delicacy. The 

 bird is brown and white, about the size of a pigeon, but I can give 

 you uo particular account of it, never having seen it close, nor can I 

 find anyone who knows anything more about it. Next season (March 

 to May) I could probably, without much difficulty, get one dead or 

 alive, also the eggs. Eggs of the tropic bird and the booby might 

 also be obtained : I am not so sure of those of the white bird— no 

 doubt they would be difficult to get. 



You will see that we are by no means rich in sea-birds, although 

 St. Helena is favourably situated, and from the abundance of ocean 

 birds in the South Atlantic it might have been expected to be a great 

 breeding-station ; but they seem to prefer higher latitudes for their 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. III. 3 M 



