172 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 97 



THE ALBATROSS OF LAYSAN. 



BY PROFESSOR HOMER R. DILL, 



DIRECTOR OF THE VERTEBRATE MUSEUM, 



STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA. 



Hundreds of miles from the regular course of mail steani- 

 ers, on a tiny sand-grit island in the middle of the Pacific 

 Ocean, millions of birds have made their homes; here for 

 countless generations they have lived, finding abundant food 

 and suitable places in which to rear their young. 



This primitive world, inhabited only by birds, is known as 

 Laysan Island and is one of the Hawaiian group. The 

 island has an area of two square miles, is low and flat, and 

 although of volcanic origin has its upper surface to-day com- 

 pletely covered with coral sand and phosphate rock. The 

 shores are of cream-white sand ; the higher ground border- 

 ing the beach is covered with a rich growth of low bushes 

 and sand grasses, among which are trailing vines. In the 

 center lies a shallow lagoon unconnected with the sea, not 

 far from the south end of which is a small fresh-water pond. 

 From the central plane the sloping sides of the old coral 

 atoll basin can be seen raising gently on all sides to the higher 

 ground that borders the beach. 



In the spring of 1911, I spent six weeks on this island with 

 three assistants to collect the necessary material and data for 

 making a cycloramic reproduction of the bird rookeries for the 

 Museum of the State University of Iowa; and while there 

 noted twenty-three species of birds, among the most notable 

 being the Laysan albatross (Dioniedea hnmiitahUis , Roths- 

 child). 



The birds did not seem to mind the presence of man. As 

 our party toiled up the beach through the loose coral sand, 

 these beautiful creatures were seen on the higher ground, 

 assembled in groups of twenty or more ; as we drew nearer 

 they came up to greet us, some of them bowing profoundly. 



