xii 



AVIFAUNA OF L.VYSAX. 



latter being just able to fly. The small Gannets (Sula phcator) are sitting on tbeir nests, 

 which are built on some small scrub that is growing round what I believe at one time must 

 have been a lake, on the south side of the island. This scrub, although it does not grow so 

 high, is, I think, the same as that found on Laysan, and which, with the exception of two or 

 three small spots only, grows round this dried-up lake. The Frigate-birds are here also in 

 large numbers. They have their nests on the scrub round the lake. It is very interesting 

 to watch thorn getting their food : in the daytime they soar about all over the island, and 

 every now and then one of them picks up a young Tern, then a number of others chase him 

 and keep taking the prey one from the other till at last it is eaten or drops to the ground ; 

 but thev generally make for the sea with their prey, as it is easier for them to pick up when 

 dropped than on land. When soaring they hardly seem to move a wing, and sometimes I 

 have seen them cleaning and picking their feathers as they floated along in the air. In the 

 evening, just before sunset, thev hover close round the island waiting for the Petrels and 

 other birds to come home with food, when they give chase and do not leave the unfortunate 

 bird until it has disgorged some if not all of its food. I have seen Petrels when thus chased 

 drop on the water from sheer exhaustion, hut even then the Frigate-bird would not leave it 

 till it lias disgorged. In addition to these birds there are a few " Noio " and Grey-backed 

 Terns on the island, also a few Curlew in poor plumage, some « Akekeke " {Strepsilas interpres), 

 Kolea {Charadrim f ulcus), "Uliii" (Totanus incanm), and three species of Petrels, but there 

 is no sisrn of any land-birds. 



JWyl.— This morning, on searching for some more of the "Brown Gannct," I was 

 fortunate enough to obtain two females and two young, but I could find no eggs, and these 

 were the only young ones on the island. When skinning the Brown Gannets I found they 

 had much larger brains than Sulci cyanops, which is almost twice as large. The female of 

 the Brown Gannet is also larger than the male, and has different coloured soft parts. While 

 out to-day we came across some of the small Gannet {Sula piscator) asleep on some bushes, 

 with their heads hanging straight down. The first one I saw I thought was dead. The 

 young Gannets also when sleeping on the sand stretch tbeir necks out straight. 



July 2.— My assistant to-day killed a seal, which I am trying to prepare for a specimen. 

 I had shot two before, but their skins were too much injured. (The skin of the seal unfortu- 

 nately was lost.) On returning to the tent we captured two young albino Albatrosses. This 

 seems very singular, as we had examined during the voyage thousands upon thousands of 

 young Albatrosses and seen no variation among them. Now the only bird seen on my 

 voyage of which I have no specimens is the little Grey Tern [Anous cincreus, very likely.— 

 W.ll.]. 



July 4 — Left Lisiansky for Pearl and Hermes T^eef. 



j u ly G. — With a nice breeze all the way from Lisiansky we made these islands this 

 morning. We have spent all day trying to get into the entrance of a sort of lagoon 

 formed by the coral-walls round the central island, which is a mere sandbank with no 

 vegetation. 



j u ly 8.-— Left Pearl and Hermes for Midway Island, having spent the last two days at 

 anchor in a perfectly calm sea, three or four miles away from the island, but Capt. Walker, 

 in spite of all I could do, refused to put me ashore. I know these waters are very dangerous, 



