Letter from the Pacific. 77 
When they alight on the water they stretch out the legs 
forwards like Vultures. They can raise themselves easily by 
making a few steps on the water with their feet. They snap 
at every thing that falls overboard, even such unpalatable 
things as old baskets, &c., and could be easily caught with a 
hook, if the steamer were not going too fast. It seemed that 
these flocks which followed our steamer consisted every day 
of different individuals ; for on the 11th of June nearly the 
whole day an Albatross kept in sight of us, which was easily 
recognizable by having a collar of red ribbon around its 
neck. This bird had no doubt been captured and liberated 
again, decorated in this manner. The Albatrosses were, as 
mentioned already, nearly the only birds we saw in this part 
of our voyage. Besides, I observed only occasional single 
specimens of a dark-coloured Puffinus (white underneath) and 
of asmall kind of Storm-Petrel (Procellaria). The Tropic- 
bird (Phaéton) was not seen until we caught sight of the 
Hawaian Islands (Hawaii itself) on the 16th of June; at 
the same time I observed a Frigate-bird (Tachypetes) soaring 
like a rapacious bird high in the air, but easily recognizable 
by its forked tail. When land was approached the Albatrosses 
became rarer, and finally disappeared altogether. 
As the ‘ City of New York’ got fast on a reef going into the 
harbour, we were not landed at Honolulu before the morning 
of the 17th June. Jn passing through the streets of the 
garden-like city, the eyes cf the stranger are caught by the 
immense numbers of Mainas (Acridotheres tristis, I believe), 
which have been imported from China. These Mainas are a 
great nuisance to the inhabitants, as they drive away the 
Pigeons and Fowls, and are said to destroy the nests and eggs 
of the domestic birds. That they do drive out the Pigeons 
from their houses I observed many times myself. Their nests, 
which are constructed of fine roots and twigs, form great dis- 
orderly heaps, and contained two young ones (very young and 
still naked), or two eggs, in colour bluish, like that of our 
Starling (Sturnus). The Mainas are ever active and noisy; and 
the noise made by hundreds crying at their roosting-places is 
indescribable. In Mr. Barning’s garden, where the finest 
