Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 63.djvu/335

Rh feathers being excessively elongated and bright red. When nesting these birds are so well concealed that they would he unnoticed were it not for their strident outcries. This resulted in distressful experiences when the 'jackies' from the Albatross were given shore leave, and went around pulling the tail feathers from every tropic bird they could find; the birds refusing to leave the nests, but protesting vigorously and occasionally getting revenge by biting savagely with their powerful beaks.

The gannets are among the more conspicuous birds of the island, being large white birds with black wings. They are known as 'bush

gannet' and 'sand gannet,' names indicative of their nesting habits. The downy young of these birds are exquisitely white and fluffy, reminding one of animated puff balls.

The Laysan duck, curlews, plover and turn-stones are found in numbers along the margin of the central lagoon, and furnish a welcome addition to the larder of Mr. Schlemmer and the men in his employ. Four species of land birds complete the list. One is the 'wingless rail,' not literally wingless, but with wings reduced to functionless rudiments.

Another species confined to this limited area is the Laysan finch,