146 AN EXPEDITION TO CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 



tropica] sea coasts in the Old and New Worlds, growing on 

 rocks or mud always close to the sea. From this headland 

 a good view of Steep Rock and South Point can be got. Sea 

 birds were abundant here, and the common boobies were 

 nesting among the pinnacles of projecting rock. The nests 

 were placed on the ground and consisted of bits of stick, 

 birds bones, scraps of Sesuviuin, etc. The eggs were two, 

 chalky white and usually dirty. One nest contained two 

 unfledged birds, one of which was dead, Revisiting the 

 spot later I found the dead bird gone and the other ap- 

 parently dying. Though there were generally two eggs in 

 the nest I never except on this occasion saw more than one 

 young bird in a nest, whether the female bird is unable to 

 bring up more than one at a time I do not know. In or close 

 to the nest was usually a fish to be seen, brought by the 

 parents. The hen bird usually sat alone on the nest, feebly 

 pecking from side to side at nothing when a stranger 

 approached. Occasionally the male sat by her also, but except 

 for the feeble demonstration of anger described they made no 

 attempt to defend the nest. The female when approached too 

 near tumbled and flapped along the ground as if either too stiff 

 with sitting or feebly pretending to be injured. In the trees 

 in the bay a number of young boobies in white plumage sat so 

 tame that they could easily be touched by hand, although they 

 could readily fly. Dr. Hanitsch photographed a group. The 

 small black heron and white egret were also seen in this bay. 

 On our way back to camp Kassan discovered a plant of a species 

 of Balanophora entirely pale yellow. This was a most un- 

 expected find, as these parasitic plants were not recorded from 

 any oceanic Island previously. Careful search for more 

 produced no result here but I later found another above Steep 

 Rock, and one in the centre of the Island. The plant was 

 growing in loose soil on the shore terrace which was wooded 

 with the ordinary shore terrace trees and covered with an 

 undergrowth of Dicliptera and Asy stasia. 



The next day (8th) I started northwards to the first 

 freshwater stream, a thin flow of water over rounded muddy 

 rocks covered thinly with moss. Here grew the fern 



Jour. Straits Branch 



