330 PAUMOTU GROUP. 
The landing on a coral island effectually does away with all 
preconceived notions of its beauty, and the ideas formed in its favour 
are immediately put to flight. That verdure which carpeted the 
whole island in imagination from a distant view, was in reality but a 
few patches of wiry grass, that obstructs the walking, and offered 
neither fruit nor flowers to view, it grew among the rugged coral 
debris, with a little sand and vegetable earth. 
The principal trees and shrubs are the Pandanus, Boerhaavia, and 
Pisonia. It is somewhat surprising that a few trees forty or fifty feet 
high should have found sufficient soil to protect their growth. Most 
of the trees, however, are of stunted size, being not more than ten to 
fifteen feet in height, and eighteen inches in diameter. 
Van Shouten and Le Maire visited this island, 10th April, 1616, 
some two hundred years before, and it was even then clothed with 
vegetation. If their description is an accurate one, the island appears 
now to be rather higher, as they report " from what they could judge, 
the greater part of the island is overflowed at high water;" this is 
certainly not the case now. The centre of the island is in latitude 
14° 55' 40" S., longitude 138° 47' 36" W. 
The number of birds on the island was incredible, and they 
were so tame as to require to be pushed off their nests to get their 
eggs. The most conspicuous among them was the frigate-bird 
(Tachypetis aquilus), many of the trees were covered with their 
nests, constructed of a few sticks. The old birds were seen, as they 
flew off, inflating their blood-red pouches to the size of a child's head, 
and looking as if a large bladder was attached to their necks. The 
gannets, sooty terns, and the beautiful tropic bird, were in countless 
numbers ; the former guarding their eggs, (which were laid on the 
ground without a nest,) with care, remaining by them, and even 
suffering themselves to be captured without resistance. Their hoarse 
croaking was quite deafening. 
Some droll sights were seen of crabs walking off with snakes, and 
both again seized by some stout bird and borne away. Perfect 
armies of soldier or piratical crabs (Paguri) were seen moving in all 
directions with their shells. We enjoyed ourselves much, and found 
no use for our guns, powder, and shot, As many specimens as we 
could desire were taken with the hand, both old and young. In 
some cases the tropic birds were taken off their nests, and from others 
their eggs were taken without disturbing them ; indeed, I have never 
seen any barn-yard fowls half so tame. 
