49 8 



The National Geographic Magazine 



"Sometimes both birds raise their 

 head in air, and either one or both utter 

 the indescribable and ridiculous bovine 

 groan (see picture 3) . When they have 

 finished, they begin bowing at each 

 other again, almost always rapidly al- 

 ternately, and presently repeat the per- 

 formance, the birds reversing their role 

 in the game or not. There is no hard 

 and fast order to these antics, which 

 the seamen of the Albatross rather aptly 

 called a 'cake-walk,' but many varia- 

 tions occur. 



"Occasionally one will lightly pick 

 up a twig or grass straw and present it 

 to the other. This one does not accept 

 the gift, however, but thereupon re- 

 turns the compliment, when straws are 

 promptly dropped, and all hands begin 

 bowing and walking about as if their 

 lives depended upon it. If one stands 

 where albatrosses are reasonably abun- 

 dant, he can see as many as twenty 

 couples hard at work bowing and groan- 

 ing on all sides and paying not the 

 slightest attention to his presence." 



In spite of this excellent use of all 



the space at their disposal, the birds 

 which have chosen Laysan for their 

 breeding home would not be able to find 

 satisfactory places if they all arrived at 

 the same time. They are, therefore, 

 obliged to take turns, so that some spe- 

 cies of sea birds leave the place as soon 

 as their young are strong enough to 

 fly, and while the former occupant is 

 leaving, the new-comers already begin 

 to arrive. Thus there is a constant 

 coming and going, and it follows that 

 breeding species are found at almost 

 every season of the year — a fact which 

 is remarkable even in the tropics, where 

 the breeding season is generally less 

 regular than in our latitudes. In this 

 way a most definite succession, which 

 probably dates back thousands of years, 

 takes place year after year in the ar- 

 rival and departure of certain species. 

 A commercial company makes a good 

 profit out of the phosphate deposits on 

 the island. At one time it also made 

 money out of the albatross eggs (see 

 picture, page 495) , but this wanton prac- 

 tice has since been stopped. 



Sulphur Mine in Nevada. — The amount 

 of sulphur produced in the United States 

 is but a small percentage of the amount 

 annually consumed. Three states, Lou- 

 isiana, Nevada, and Utah, named in the 

 order of their importance as producers 

 of sulphur, contribute to the domestic 

 output. Their united production for 

 1902 was 8,336 short tons, valued, at 

 $220, 560. In addition to this, the Coun- 

 try consumed 174,939 l° n & tons of im- 

 ported sulphur, principally from Sicily. 

 But for the unfortunate fact that there 

 is no duty on imported sulphur, the 

 production from native deposits might 

 be expected to increase in proportion to 

 the demand. Mr George I. Adams has 

 written for a recent bulletin (No. 225) 

 of the U. S. Geological Survey, entitled 

 " Contributions to Economic Geology, 

 1903," a capital description of the Rab- 

 bit Hole sulphur mines of Nevada. It 



is thought that the sulphur at these 

 mines was derived from a great depth 

 and deposited as a result of solfataric 

 action. 



The sulphur is obtained from open 

 pits, tunnels, and underground cham- 

 bers. In its more beautiful form it oc- 

 curs as masses of crystals depending 

 from the walls of irregular cavities and 

 incrusting free surfaces. It has the 

 beautiful yellow color of crystallized 

 sulphur, with here and there a reddish 

 tinge due to the presence of a small 

 amount of cinnabar. The most impor- 

 tant mass of sulphur is, however, of a 

 different type, and has the appearance 

 of having originated in a flow of molten 

 sulphur which welled up and filled open 

 channels in the rocks. It contains oc- 

 casional fragments of rocks, but is re- 

 markably pure. Its color is a dark 

 resinous yellow. 



