AVIFAUNA OF LAYSAN. 



ix 



again in the evening of? two small sandbanks. As I saw no birds on them I did not <ro on 

 shore. Captain Walker's sons, however, went and round a few turtle and Boobies (Sula sula). 

 We went quite close to the previously-mentioned rock, and, on firing a rifle, among the birds 

 that got up I saw a pair of another species of Tern I had not got and also a third species of 

 (inn net. 



I see further ahead an island apparently full of birds, which I hope to reach to-morrow, 

 as the weather is now nice and fine. 



June \ . — Weighed anchor and sailed up to the island I have just mentioned. It is only 

 a rather larger sandbank than the one we had just left. There were plenty of birds on it, 

 but chiefly the same as I had got before, though the young of the Black Albatross were much 

 more plentiful. I also got another species of Petrel which was sitting on the ground, but 

 only obtained one out of the pair I saw. Here I also found the White Gannet [Sula piscator. 

 — W.R.] nesting. Tin's bird builds a nest among, and made of, some species of vine growing 

 on the island, and the nest is not unlike those of the Shags (Fhalacrocorax), All the nests 



I examined were 4 very similar and built in the centre of the vine, round and flat, and about 

 six inches above the ground. Each nest had only one egg. The young of the Pied Tern 

 (Anous fuliginosm) were all much younger than on the island I had been before, very few 

 being able to fly. The large Petrel, of which there were a few stragglers on the former 

 island, were here very plentiful, sitting on the sand in pairs. There were also a few Frigate- 

 birds round about, but I did not trouble to shoot any, as, according to report, they are very 

 plentiful on Laysan Island. 



June 5. — At G in the morning I went on to the island again, as we were to leave at 



II o'clock. While turning up some turtle-shells that had been heaped up by a shipwrecked 

 crew, I discovered a third species of Petrel sitting on its egg; of this we obtained ten or 

 eleven besides six eggs. I also obtained some more of the Petrel I got one specimen of 

 yesterday. Of the large Petrel I saw several males in the act of copulation, so I have no 

 doubt they will soon commence to lay. I saw several of them in their burrows in the sand. 



June G. — We continued our journey last night and are now bound for Gardner Island. 

 The weather is very calm. Unfortunately my assistant (Munroe) is ill with " La Grippe," 

 and it is so terribly hot that I hardly know what to do with my skins. The young birds in 

 down I cannot do anything with, which is very discouraging, but in future I shall put them 

 in spirit. 



June 7. — At sea. Weather very calm. Hope to reach Gardner Island to-morrow. 



From June 7th to June 13th we were occupied in beating round, for Gardner Island, 

 having experienced bad weather and for some time had lost our course. Owing to the rough 

 sea there was no possibility of landing on Gardner Island, and the only birds I saw were the 

 White Tern {Gijgis), the Grey-backed Tern [Haliplana lunata. — W. P.], the Tropic-bird, and 

 the Frigate-bird. On the 13th we lay in a dead calm, and I fear we may be a long time before 

 we reach Laysan, and all this delay is owing to bad management on board. 



June 1G. — At last we reached Laysan, having sighted it just after daylight. From 

 what I can sec of the island I am in hopes that I shall be able to make up a little of the lost 

 time, for, to my great delight, the island appears quite alive with birds, especially the Pail, 

 which, although I had been told was tolerably plentiful, to my intense astonishment literally 



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