NATATORES. 



369 



were selected on the shores of the lagoons which are commonly found 

 in coral islands, where, under some low bush, the female lays her egg 

 on the biire ground, and is assisted by the male in the office of incu- 

 bation. They remain very gravely at their stations, disregarding the 

 enormous land crabs, the Frigate Birds, or even man, who is the terror 

 of most animals. We pushed many of these birds off their nests with 

 the muzzles of our guns, to see whether they had more than one egg to 

 each pair of birds ; they fought and scuffled with the oflfensive weapon, 

 but returned the moment it was withdrawn. One or two were suffi- 

 ciently cunning, after a first attempt, to bite our hands in place of the 

 gun-barrel. They hissed like the domestic Goose, and have besides, a 

 very coarse croaking voice. 



"The egg is two and six-tenths inches long, and one and eight-tenths 

 inches in diameter, equally rounded at both ends in some, while others 

 are somewhat pointed at one end; the color is bluish-green inside, and 

 covered outside with a dry, rough, white coating, showing the color of 

 the interior through it. This outside coating is probably soft at first, 

 because most of the eggs are coated more or less with coral sand, in- 

 corporated with the surface of the shell. 



" The young of this species are covered with a fine white down, and 

 when first hatched, resemble a powder-puff with a black handle, the 

 latter being represented by their black bills. The feathers after- 

 wards come out of an ash-color, and are not spotted with white, like 

 the Gannets of the north [Sida hassanus). 



" The seasons for incubation do not seem to be very regular. We 

 found them sitting and hatching, at Enderby's Island, in the month of 

 January, and the same was observed at other places at intermediate 

 seasons. 



" We never saw this bird construct a nest in trees like the following 

 species, nor is it so numerous, but is generally seen in the same parts 

 of the Pacific Ocean lying between the Paumotu Islands, and the coast 

 of Asia." 



This bird is frequently mentioned in Dr. Pickering's journal, and is 

 particularly noticed by him as abundant at Gardner's Island, at 

 McKean's Island, and at Wake's Island. At Gardner's Island he ob- 

 serves that it was found in large numbers, and engaged in the duties 

 of incubation. " The eggs were always laid on the ground with little 

 or no semblance of a nest, and in one instance only, two eggs were 

 observed together, and belonging to one female. In all other cases 



93 



