8 5 2 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 30, 1908. 
Some Life of the Deep Sea. 
Natural History Observations During the First 
Cruise of the "Galilee” in the Magnetic 
Survey of the Pacific Ocean.* 
BY PR. J. HOBART EGBERT, SURGEON AND NATURALIST 
OF THE EXPEDITION. 
The first cruise of the Galilee, in the mag¬ 
netic survey of the North Pacific, included boih 
tropical and semi-tropical waters, and afforded 
opportunity for general observations of many in¬ 
teresting forms of marine life, both littoral and 
pelagic. Among the birds at sea the tropic or 
“bo’sun birds,” the boobies and the goonies were 
most common associates—the two former be¬ 
longing more particularly to the tropics, and the 
latter to the waters of the Pacific north of the 
Tropic of Cancer. While cruising between the 
Hawaiian Islands and the equator, tropic birds 
( Phathontida ) were almost constant compan¬ 
ions. Two species, the yellow bill tropic bird 
(Phathon flavirostris) and the large red tail 
tropic bird ( P. rubricauda), were distinguished. 
Sometimes individuals of only one species were 
observed about the vessel, and at others both 
species were present at the same time. When 
no other birds were near they often kept us 
very close company, but upon the approach of 
other birds they generally left the field to the 
newcomers. In my note book, under date of 
Oct. 22, I find: 
‘‘Many ‘bo'suns' about to-day—both red tails 
(large! and yellow bills (smaller). They soar 
majestically in the air, hovering near the vessel 
—often close to the main deck—and again sit 
gracefully upon the water, their long tail plumes 
elevated to an angle of nearly 45 degrees. Their 
call, or cry, is like the rasping cluck made to 
horses to start or hurry them along, only more 
emphatic and more rasping. Latitude, 4° 35' N.; 
longitude, 164° 00' W. Weather clear to partly 
cloudy; light S.E. breezes.” 
The members of the family Phcctliontida are 
familiarly called ‘‘bo’sun birds”—or marlinspikes 
-—because of the elongated tail plumes project- 
-ing far abaft the body, which sailors call the 
bird’s marlinspike and say that he must be a 
“bo’sun” to always carry a marlinspike about 
with him. They are called tropic birds because 
commonly ranging between the Tropics of Can¬ 
cer and Capricorn, though it is well known that 
their range is not limited to the tropical zone. 
Personally, we have seen them—sometimes 
singly, but usually in p,airs—far outside the 
tropics. For example, in the early part of Octo¬ 
ber, 1904, while making a passage on the United 
States Coast and Geodetic Survey Steamer 
Patterson, from the Aleutian Islands to the 
Hawaiian Islands, I observed two of these birds 
in latitude, approximately, 32° N.—about 600 
miles north of the Hawaiian Islands. Absolute 
identification of the species was not possible, 
though they were considered to be, and probably 
were, P. flavirostris. The generic term P hat lion 
is said to have been given these birds by Lin- 
meus in allusion to their range, following, more 
or less exactly, the path of the sun. 
The “bo’suns” are all rather attractive birds. 
The general plumage of both the yellow bill and 
the red tail is of a clean, satin-like white which, 
upon closer inspection—especially of the latter 
‘Published by permission of the Director, Department 
of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Wash¬ 
ington, D. C. 
species—is found to have a roseate tinge. P. 
cvtliereus has a more sombre plumage than either 
of the two already mentioned species, having 
nearly all the upper surface of the body and 
wings barred with black and gray. In P. athereus 
the shafts of the elongated white rectrices are 
also white; in P. flavirostris the shafts are black, 
though the plumes are white, and in P. rubri¬ 
cauda the elongated and attenuated rectrices 
have both shafts and plumes a bright crimson 
red. 
Although the tropic birds wander far from 
land, a question has been raised as to whether 
or not they feed at sea; that is, far from their 
native island haunts. Mr. Bullen, in “Denizens 
of the Deep,” says he has never observed these 
PACIFIC BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS ON BOARD THE 
GALILEE. 
birds feeding at sea and rather expresses doubt 
as to their doing so. Close about the islands 
where these birds breed they may often be seen, 
especially in early morning or late afternoon, 
feeding on the small fishes which frequent the 
waters bordering those shores, but at sea it is 
different. The following, therefore, from my 
note book, under date of Oct. 3, has a certain 
interest: 
“Between 9 and 10 o'clock this morning, when 
about eighty miles S.W. of the Island of Hawaii, 
two ‘bo’sun’ birds were keeping us company, and 
though they ranged at a distance from the vessel 
too great for specific identification, there could 
be no question about their being ‘bo’sun birds.’ 
But what is interesting is the fact that they were 
feeding. Again and again they darted down¬ 
ward into the water—after the manner of terns 
—unquestionably feeding upon some small fry.” 
That these birds do not always visit the land 
at night we arc inclined, with other observers, 
to believe. It is true that they are swift fliers 
and great wanderers, and that they are more 
commonly seen near—say within a few hundred 
miles of—the islands than in mid-ocean. Yet, 
on the Galilee's cruise, from the California coast, 
two “bo sun birds” were seen almost midway 
between San Diego and the Hawaiian Islands— 
fully a thousand miles from land. While cruis¬ 
ing south of the Hawaiian Islands, tropic birds 
were frequently hovering near the ship at night¬ 
fall and apparently manifesting little intention 
of making shore for the night. Although often 
keeping very close company to sailing vessels, 
“bo'sun birds” do not seem to be much attracted 
by steamers. 
Very familiar to those who navigate tropical 
waters and visit certain islands and coasts of 
tropical seas are the boobies, large aquatic birds 
belonging to the tribe of gannets, though dif¬ 
fering from the solan goose ( Sula bassana ) in 
having no median stripe of bare skin down the 
front of the throat. The general trait of stu¬ 
pidity attributed to boobies is familiar not only 
to deep-water sailors, but also to most school 
children. How, unlike almost all other birds, 
they seem indifferent to the mere presence or 
close approach of human beings and, therefore, 
when found on shore or perched on the rigging 
of ships they are undisturbed by the approach 
of a would-be captor, and apparently all unaware 
of possible harm or injury until actually caught 
or thrust aside. 
During the cruise of the Galilee, between the 
Hawaiian Islands and the Equator, the boobies 
were very frequent visitors, hovering close about 
the ship when night approached and not infre¬ 
quently alighting on spars or rigging. In my 
note book, under date of Saturday, Oct. 21, I 
find the following: 
“To-night about dusk a number of boobies 
were flying about the ship. One alighted on the 
fore-topgallant stay, near the jib boom's end. I 
went out on the boom and had a good look at 
him at close range. He was quite indifferent to 
my presence, though I was within arm’s reach 
of him all the while. Occasionally he appeared 
to look at me for a moment, but immediately 
busied himself with picking and arranging his 
feathers. After my return on deck one of the 
sailors went out on the boom, caught the bird 
by the neck and brought him on deck, from 
which he was unable to take wing. After he 
had been inspected by all hands I had him set 
at liberty. Sailors are apt to be unwarrantably 
cruel to these sharp-billed birds when they have 
them at their mercy, though just why they should 
be so is not very apparent, unless, as it is said, 
it is a part of a ‘sea-dog’s’ life to be abused and 
to abuse. Latitude, 3 0 50' N.; longitude, 164° 
15' W. Slightly cloudy weather; gentle S.E. 
airs.” 
Three species of boobies are found in the 
tropical and semi-tropical regions of the north¬ 
east Pacific. They are Sula piscator, S. cyanops 
and S', leucogastra. A fourth species, S', varie- 
gata, seems to be more or less limited in range 
to the coasts of Chile and Peru. When mature, 
S', cyanops has much the general appearance and 
white plumage of the English gannet (S’, bas- 
sana ), except that the tail is dark brown in¬ 
stead of white; 5 . piscator is distinguished by 
its red legs, while in S', leucogastra the upper 
plumage and neck are brown. S’, variegata, ever 
in adult life, is spotted, somewhat resembling 
