AVIFAUNA OF LAYSAN. 



vii 



DIAEY OF HENRY PALMER. 



From May 6th to August IS///, 1891. 



May 5 6 (Honolulu). — These two days were spent in looking for a vessel for my expe- 

 dition and obtaining permission from the Laysan Guano Company to collect on their islands. 



May 9. — Arranged with Capt. Walker for the trip and put my things on board. I am 

 very nervous, as he lost his last vessel among these same islands ; but I must go with him, as 

 this is the only chance. 



May 10$* 11. — I spent these days in preparing for my voyage and in hunting up 

 a Captain Rosskill, who had brought three living specimens of the Laysan-Island Rail to 

 Honolulu. 



May 12. — I went to sec the Rails and bought two of the three specimens. As there was 

 no steamer leaving for Europe, I was obliged to kill and skin them. On the journey from 

 Laysan they had been fed on canary-seed and potatoes. 



May 21. — It is now a little more than a week since I last wrote in my diary, but I was 

 too disgusted at the innumerable delays and crotchets of Capt. Walker. Yesterday only did 

 Ave get the schooner alongside the wharf, so many alterations and improvements had to be 

 made ; but now everything is settled, and if the weather is favourable we start to-morrow. 



May 23. — At last everything is ready and I am once again on the water, bound for the 

 islands I have to explore. This evening we have anchored 30 miles from Honolulu to <*ct 

 everything straight before going right out to sea. 



May 21. — At sea. Nothing to note. 



May 25.— Weather fine, but heavy sea running. I expect to-morrow to reach Niihau, or 

 Bird Island. 



May 26.— Reached Bird Island at 2 o'clock, but the swell was too heavy to land. We 

 sailed all round it before leaving. There seemed to be any quantity of sea-birds on it. The 

 island itself is only a large rock with very scanty vegetation; all I could sec were two small 

 groups of some kind of palms. While sailing round the island some Gannets came and settled 

 on our bowsprit, and I caught three of them, all of one kind, although I saw another species 

 flying round. I here mention the various species of sea-birds we saw on Niihau as far as I 

 could identify them : — 



2 species of Albatross. [Probably Diomedea immutabilis, Rothsch., and Diomedea 

 chine nsis, Temm. — W. R.] 



2 species of Gannet, [Sula sulci and S. piscator.—W. R.] 



3 species of Petrel. [These are probably the same as those of Laysan.— W. R.1 



or 7 species of Tern. [Probably Anous stolidus, A. hawaiiensis, Sa lip I ana fuliglnosa 

 ad. and juv., A. cinerem ?, Gygte Candida, and II lunata.—W. R.] 



A small flock of Akekeke came flying off the island when we were opposite the landing- 

 place, took a circle round, and disappeared. [Strepsllas interpres, L.— W. R.] 



In the evening I saw another flock of these birds flying the same way as the vessel was 

 steering and as though they were migrating to another island. I also noticed some Red-tailed 

 Tropic-birds [Phaeton rubricauda.—W. P.] flying round the island, and their love-making in 



