BIRDS OF LAYSAN AND THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. 775 
and occasionally losing their balance from overhaste, fell forward on their chins. 
This proceeding usually made them actively sick. 
Few of the birds seemed frightened, and with the exercise of a little care we 
were able to approach most of the species as close as we wished. It was certainly 
gratifying to be able to walk up to an albatross or a booby and watch it feed its 
young, and to record this domestic duty with the camera. It might, perhaps, be 
difficult to convey the pleasure I experienced when, standing in a group of albatrosses, 
one came up and peered into my face, and finding my intentions good proceeded to 
examine inquisitively the polished top of my tripod. Many of the young albatrosses 
would allow themselves to be stroked after a ludicrous show of displeasure, and would 
soon appear as if they had known us always. The little rails scampered hither and 
thither, like diminutive barnyard fowls, but soon returned craning their necks to 
discover why they had retreated. When we sat working, not infrequently the little 
miller-bird {Acrocephalus familiaris) came and perched for a moment on our table 
and chair backs, and the Laysan finch and rail walked about our feet in busy search 
for flies and bits of meat. The beautiful little red honey-eater visited us each day at 
meal time, and sought for “millers” in the crannies and seams between the boards. 
Thus, wherever we went we were free to watch and learn and were trusted by the 
birds. It seems a most touching and unique experience, and one which demonstrates 
all too forcibly the attitude of wild creatures which have not yet learned that man is 
usually an enemy. 
Our visit could scarcely have been better timed. Had we been earlier we would 
have missed the nesting of the smaller land birds, and, if later, the terns would have 
all hatched young, and the same is true of the boobies and frigate birds. 
The following species were found either with eggs (*) or with young (f): 
Sterna fuliginosa.* 
Sterna lunata.* f 
Anous stolid us.* 
Micranous hawaiiensis.*f 
Gygis alba kittlitzi.*f 
Diomedea immutabilis-f 
Diomedea nigripes.f 
jEstrelata hypoleuca.f 
Puffinus nativitatis.* 
Phaethon rubricauda.* f 
Sula cyan ops. 
Sula piseator.* f 
Fregata aquila.* t 
Anas laysanensis.* f 
Porzanula palmeri.* 
Himatione freethi.* 
Telespiza cantans.* 
Acrocephalus familiaris. * 
The following, though breeding species, were not laying: 
Puffinus cuneatus. I Oceanodroma fuliginosa. 
The following migrants were present at the time of our visit: 
Charadrius dominicus fulvus. i Heteractitis incanus. 
Arenaria interpres. [ Numenius tahitiensis. 
With such a vast bird population, numbering doubtlessly many hundreds of 
thousands, it is not surprising that there should be some method in their distribution 
and that the various species are found more or less in colonies. For reasons best 
known to themselves many of the species have chosen definite localities. Thus, 
Diomedea nigripes is found breeding on the sand beaches on the north, east, and 
south sides, but not elsewhere. Sula cyanops is restricted to the narrow, littoral, 
sedge-covered slope on the same sides. Sterna lunata chooses the summit of the 
littoral slope all the way around the island. Sterna fuliginosa encircles the islet in 
a wide band, from the divide along the inner or lagoon slope, inside the ring of 
lunata settlements. AEstrelata hypoleuca burrows where the sand is deep throughout 
the area covered with tall grass, down to near the open plain, where in favorable 
