330 Dr. O. Finsch’s Ornithological 
tails. In flight this bird much resembles an Eagle, and is 
by far the finest flier of the ocean. Frigate-birds, Tropic- 
birds, and Boobies (Sula), I was assured, breed in great 
numbers on Bigar, an uninhabited and nearly barren island, 
the northernmost of the Ratak chain, and also on Gasparrico 
(S. Bartolomeo), rather more to the north-east and of a 
similar character. From these islands, especially the former, 
the natives get the feathers of Tachypetes, which are used for 
ornaments for their big canoes. As one sails along the coasts 
a little more ornithological life is to be observed, consisting 
of more or less numerous flocks of Noddies (Anouws), mixed 
with Terns (Sterna melanauchen and S. bergit) and a few ex- 
amples of Gygis alba. These species are also the only birds 
seen hovering over the lagoons. Sometimes the splendid 
light-blue water of the latter reflects in a wonderful way on 
the beautiful white of these birds, and it was striking for a 
moment, even for me, to see a delicate blue Sterna bergit skim- 
ming over the waves thus illuminated. Thelast-named species 
I observed first in the middle of October on the lagoons, but 
only single specimens or pairs. Then they were moulting, and 
some examples had lost nearly all their primaries ; otherwise 
they were in the so-called winter dress, with a black crescent 
on the occiput. In the beginning of January they were in full 
nuptial dress, the whole cap being black; and at this time I 
also got fresh-laid eggs from this lagoon, but was not able 
myself to find the breeding-grounds. This would seem, on 
taking up the map, to be a very easy task, but is, in fact, a 
very difficult one, and might take several days. It must be 
remembered that the atoll of this island (Taluit) consists of 
fifty-eight different islands, which encircle a lagoon of about 
twenty-eight sea-miles in length and seventeen in diameter, 
and that it is not always easy to land just where one pleases. 
The avifauna of the islands themselves is quite as poor as 
that of the lagoons, and, in fact, every island shows just the 
same kind of birds—i.e. Strepsilas interpres, Charadrius 
fulvus, Actitis incana, and Ardeasacra, Although the former 
two species winter here, they are not to be seen in large 
flocks, and from about ten to fourteen Strepsilas and about 
