AVIFAUNA OF LAY SAN. 



covers the island. Everywhere one walks this little creature hurries out of your way. [This 

 Kail is Porzanula palmeri, Froh. — AN'. 11.] 



Before going into particulars about the birds I think it best to give a description of 

 Laysan Island, as T found it. 



The island is a simple atoll with a lagoon in the centre, which Mr. Freeth (the governor 

 of the island and manager of the Guano Company) tells me has comparatively little water in 

 it at the present time, although I consider there arc quite 100 acres under water l . With 

 the exception of the lagoon, the island is covered with vegetation, consisting chiefly of a 

 coarse kind of grass about three feet high and small thick scrub between four and five feet 

 high. Here and there are bare patches entirely covered with young Albatrosses, Terns, and 

 Petrels, and under the grass and scrub it is just the same, almost at every step you sink 

 into the burrow of some bird. Mr. Freeth took me to the guano-field on the tram-line he 

 has built, and he had to send a man on ahead to clear the track of the young Albatrosses. 

 I have seen so many birds and have been so excited that I must leave my description of 

 them till I have seen more at my leisure. 



June 17. — Have spent the day catching and skinning birds ; I will not try to give a 

 description of their habits until I have seen more of the birds ; there are so many that it 

 makes one quite confused. A most touching thing occurred : I caught a little red lloney- 

 eater [Himatione freethi. — W. R.] in the net, and when I took it out the little thing began to 

 sing in my hand. I answered it with a whistle, which it returned and continued to do so 

 for some minutes, not being in the least frightened. 



June 18. — I and my assistant went about the island and collected some eggs and birds. 

 I shot four Ducks, which, besides the Curlew, are the only birds "which cannot be caught 

 with a hand-net. Mr. Freeth has just told me his little boy caught one of the Finches this 

 morning and then got an egg and offered it to it ; the bird broke and ate the egg while 

 being held in the boy's hand. This would give you an idea how tame all the birds are here. 



June 19. — Again the day was spent in collecting and preparing birds. While out this 

 morning both my assistant and I saw a little Hail break and eat an egg. We had disturbed 

 from its nest a Noddy (Anous), immediately the Rail ran up and began to strike at the egg- 

 shell w T ith its bill, but the egg being large and hard he was quite a long time before making 

 a hole. The Rail would jump high into the air and come down with all its force on the egg, 

 until it accomplished the task, which once done the egg Avas soon emptied. By this time the 

 Tern came back and gave chase, but in vain. At the beginning I ran after the Rails with 

 the net, but soon found that it was much better to put the net edgeways on the ground, when 

 the very inquisitive Rails would run up to look at it, and then were easily caught. 



June 20. — To-day I packed up two boxes of birds to go by the ' Mary Foster ' (guano- 

 ship) to Honolulu. 



June 21. — While walking about the island I turned some of the Frigate-birds which had 

 young off their nests. Scarcely had I pushed one off when another Frigate-bird would rush 

 up, seize the young one, fly off and eat it. Sometimes the parent bird would give chase, but 

 it always ended in one or the other eating the young bird. I could scarcely believe my own 



1 I am told that on analysis the water in this lagoon proves to ho three times as salt as ordinary sea-water. 



