EXPEDITION TO LAYS AN ISLAND IN 1911. 17 



there remain for the rest of the bird population, to say nothing of 

 the bushes and grass ? 



Diomedea nigripes Audubon. Black-footed Albatross. 



Along the beaches of the north, east, and south sides of the island 

 the black-footed albatross has taken almost complete possession. 

 An occasional pair may be found nesting with the white species, but 

 as a rule they are found by themselves. 



The black-footed albatross is somewhat larger than the white 

 species, and when seen on the wing it is instantly recognized as being 

 far superior as an aviator. They followed our ship all the way from 

 San Francisco to the Hawaiian Islands. 



These birds have a performance similar to that of the former spe- 

 cies, but much more elaborate, and they go through the figures slowly 

 and gracefully. Instead of lifting one wing they raise both. The 

 notes uttered during the performance are much softer, and it ends 

 with a sound like the stroke of a bell under water or deep within the 

 bird's stomach. 



They are very neighborly with the other species. We often saw 

 them visiting, and on one or two occasions they were trying to per- 

 form with them, but the rapid pace set by the white bird was rather 

 too much for his more deliberate cousin and the affair ended disas- 

 trously. 



The young of this species were rather abundant. During the first 

 week of June many of them were fully fledged. The total number 

 of black-footed albatrosses is about 85,000. 



PROCELLARIDJ). 



Puffinus cuneatus Salvin. Wedge-tailed Shearwater. 



The wedge-tailed shearwater (PI. IV, fig. 2) is found on nearly 

 every part of Laysan, with the exception of the beaches and the hard 

 shores of the central lagoon. It does not fly about much during the 

 day, but sits in the mouth of its burrow and dozes in the sun. At 

 times a dozen or more of these birds congregate, apparently for the 

 purpose of quarreling. Their cat-like squalls will soon make the 

 listener wish to move out of hearing. 



The young were nearly fledged. Apparently these birds were not 

 killed to any extent by the poachers and they number about 100,000. 



Puffinus nativitatis Streets. Christmas Island Shearwater. 



The Christmas Island shearwater (PL VI, fig. 1) is a common bird 

 on Laysan. We found it nesting under bushes and in shallow bur- 

 rows. Its eggs were fresh during the first two weeks of May. Its 

 retiring habits and unattractive plumage have protected it from the 

 ravages of the poachers and it numbers about 75,000. 



