376 
Miscellanea . 
Although there are large groves of mangroves on other islands, 
this bird only inhabits those of South Island. I have seen many 
vast flocks of birds, but I must confess I was not at all prepared 
for the surprise I experienced in witnessing the amazing clouds 
(literally speaking) which these birds present when congregating 
in the evening; while they had their young to feed, their depar¬ 
ture and return with food during the day in one direction had a 
most singular appearance. From their breeding-place, across 
the smooth water to seaward, beyond the outer reef, is a distance 
of about four miles, and this entire distance, in their one and 
regular track, wore the appearance of one continuous dark line, 
from their prodigious numbers. After the young were enabled 
to accompany the parent birds, I observed they all left the breed¬ 
ing or roosting-place in the morning, and did not again return 
till evening, apparently the first comers waiting the arrival of the 
last before finally roosting for the night; it is when thus assem¬ 
bling that the amazing number is seen to perfection: even Au¬ 
dubon, who has been so accustomed to see such vast flocks of 
the passenger pigeon, could hardly avoid expressing surprise if 
he had an opportunity of seeing these birds at sunset, moving in 
one immense mass over and around their roosting-place; while 
the noise of the old birds’ quack, and the piping whistle of the 
young ones, is almost deafening. This bird, like its congener, 
lays but a single egg; it commences incubating in December, and 
appears to be the exclusive inhabitant of the mangroves; and 
while sitting on its egg, or tending its young, is as easily caught 
as the Noddy, suffering itself to be taken off its nest rather than 
leave it. As an article of food it was the favourite, several hun¬ 
dreds being killed almost daily during our stay on the island. 
From the circumstance of this bird inhabiting the upper branches 
may be attributed its numbers being greater than any other of 
the numerous birds which inhabit the islands, the lizards being 
unable to climb the branches with the facility necessary for cap¬ 
turing their prey, and it thus escapes their repeated attacks, to 
which the others must at all times be subject on the ground.” 
