Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 4 (1846).djvu/310

1476 the distance of a mile. Crossing the reef, we landed on a steep sandy beach, and a few yards further brought us upon one of those vast breeding-places of birds, of which none but an eye-witness can form an adequate idea. The ground was so thickly strewed with eggs, that we could not walk about without occasionally crushing them un- der foot ; myriads of terns, noddies and boobies darkened the air around ; the mingling of loud, harsh, discordant cries was absolutely deafening, and caused even a painful sensation, which, with the stench from numbers of putrifying carcasses and other sources, was almost in- sufferable. The birds appeared so little accustomed to the sight of man, that many, busily engaged in incubation, allowed of very close ap- proach. Some frigate-birds sitting upon their nests awaited our coming up with perfect composure, and stoutly defended their eggs with open beak, nor would they take to wing until pushed off the nest with a stick. A large flock of gannets and boobies covered a bare spot in the centre of the island, chequered black and white with their dense masses. The eggs and newly-fledged young of the tern and noddy w^ere turned to good account by the party established upon the island, and with an occasional turtle, now and then some fish, and abundance of fresh vegetables, they fared considerably better than on board ship. I amused myself one day with making a calculation of the consumption of young birds and eggs during the month of June, and found it to amount, at the lowest reasonable estimate, to 3,000 of the former, and 1410 dozen of the latter.

The birds found by me on Raine's Islet are of eighteen species ; of these the three first may be regarded as stragglers, having occurred only once, the remainder being either permanent residents or visitants dur- ing the breeding season ; eight are land-birds, three waders, and the others are sea-fowl.

To these were afterwards added by Lieutenant Ince, Anous leucocapillus, Thalassipora Panayensis, and Atagen Aquilus.

Rallus Philippensis. Is very abundant all over the island, the