44 



THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



With the birds gone, injurious insects 

 have increased unchecked, and are de- 

 stroying the i^roduce of the island gar- 

 dens. Fruit flies have runieci me 

 peaches, and ( aterpiUars of many kinds 

 are striiDping the leaves from shrubs and 

 trees. The rats also eat the corn ere it 

 ripens and extract the pulp from ban- 

 anas, pomegranates, and otlier fruits 

 while they are hanging on the trees. 

 Nothing is sai'e from their rapacity, and 

 dire distress threatens the residents un- 

 less some unsuspected cause brings 

 about a reduction of the rats and an in- 

 crease of the insectivorous birds. 



THE ADMIRALTi ISLETS. 



On the north-eastern side of the is- 

 land is a group of rocky islets known 

 as the Admiralties. These are rugged, 



indignation at our intrusion, and ever 

 dipping and snapping their sharp bills 

 about our ears. At our feet their brown 

 mottled eggs lay in profusion every- 

 where, while iiewly hatclied chickens 

 scuttled away in thousands into holes 

 or under the stunted bushes, tumbling 

 over themselves and each other in their 

 excitement. They were so numerous 

 that we found it dilficult to walk 

 without treading, upon them, wliile the 

 shrill cries of their parents in the air 

 were almost deafening. Lix iking 



around, eacli member of the party could 

 be located by the thousands of l)irds 

 above him, which, so soon as he had 

 passed, alighted again to seek out their 

 eggs or young. This la'^t would seem 

 to present insuperable difficulties be- 

 cause the eggs are scattered indiscrimi- 



The Admiralty Islets, from Ned's Beach. 



Photo — E. A. Briggs. 



difficult of approach except in very 

 calm weather, and of curiously fantastic 

 form, a great cavern penetrating the 

 largest islet from side to side. The Ad- 

 miralties are visited annually by count- 

 less myriads of seabirds, which find 

 their isolation and inaccessibility excel- 

 lent for the rearing of their young. 



Visiting the islets in Decemljer, we 

 saw circling and screeching about their 

 nests innumerable birds, which became 

 more numerous and more excited as we 

 approached. Upon landing and climb- 

 ing the low cliffs, we w^ere greeted bv a 

 cloud of AVideawake Terns above our 

 lieads, all screaming and chatlerius- with 



nately everywhere, while the squeaking 

 chickens had become hopelessly con- 

 fused in the scramble to avoid us. Yet 

 each of the parent birds ai)peared to 

 find either its own or some ecjually sat- 

 isfactory offspring, gradually sorting 

 them out of the confusion, and settling 

 down w'ith them so soon as quiet was 

 regained. 



The eggs of the Wideawakes {Sterna) 

 and the Mutton Birds (Puffinus), are 

 gathered in great quantities by the resi- 

 dents of the island, being excellent for 

 the table, without any of that strong 

 flavour which commonly characterises 

 seabirds' eggs. It is said that anv bird 



