3S4 V'lS,•ER,

Birds
ofLa),san
Island. FAuk
L Oct.

NOTES ON THE BIRDS PECULIAR TO LAYSAN

ISLAND, HAWAIIAN GROUP. 1

BY WALTER K. FISHER.

•ølates x_,r_,r-x

WE DOnot naturally associateland birds with tiny coral atolls

in tropicalseas. It is thereforea strangefact that sucha diminu-
tive islandas Laysan, and one so remote from continentalshores,
should harbor no less than five peculiar species: the Laysan
Finch (]klespiza cantans) and Honey-eater (I-Iima•ione freethi),
both • drepanidid' birds, the Miller Bird (.4crocefihalusfamiliaris),
the LaysanRail (?orzanulapalmeri),and lastlythe LaysanTeal
(•tnas laysanensis).I usethe term ' land birds' loosely,in con-
tradistinctionto sea-fowl,multitudesof which breed here through-
out the year. The presenceof these speciesis all the more
remarkablebecausenone appear on neighboringislands,more or
lessdistant, someof which are very similar to Laysan in structure
and flora.
Reachingout towardJapan from the main Hawaiian groupis a
longchainof volcanicrocks, atolls,sand-bars•and sunkenreefs,
all insignificantin size and widely separated. The last isletis
fully two thousandmiles from Honolulu and abouthalf-way to
Yokohama. Beginningat the east,the moreimportantmembers
of this chain are: Bird Island and Necker (tall volcanicrocks),
French Frigate Shoals, Gardner Rock, Laysan, Lisiansky, Mid-
way, Cure, andMotell. Laysanis eighthundredmilesnorthwest-
by-westfrom Honolulu,and is perhapsbest knownas beingthe
home of countless albatrosses.
We sightedthe island early one morningin May, lying low on
the horizon,with a great cloud of sea-birdshoveringover it. On
all sides the air was lively with terns, albatrosses,and boobies,

•These notes were made during a visit of the Fish Commissionsteamer

' Albatross' to Laysan, May 17 to 23, 19o2, and are abridged from a more
extendedreport on the avifauna of the i•land• to appearin the Bulletin of the
U.S. Fish Commission.
Vol.
xxq
x9o3 -I rIS•,•, z•irds
ofz,ysa,,
zsza,•d. 385
and we began to gain some notion of what a pandemoniumthe
distant swarmwas raising. We landed on the west side,where
there is a narrow passagethrough the breakers,which curl with
beautiful hueson the coral reef, and then sweepshorewardwith
flying foam.
Mr. Max Schlemmer,the superintendent,his two assistants,
and a couple of dozen Japaneselaborers constitutethe human
population. The phosphaterock is very valuable for manufac-
turing fertilizer, and is worked assiduouslyduring the summer
months. To Mr. Schlemmerthe expedition owed much,for his
unfailing courtesyand substantialaid very materially promoted
the success of our week's visit.
Laysan is a slightly elevated atoll, rudely quadrilateralin
contour, and suggestsa shallowbasin or platter. It is three
mileslongby oneand onehalf broad. In the centeris a wholly
enclosedlagoon,cove?ingperhapsone hundred acres. This is
surroundedby a broad, level plain, that part nearest the very
salinewatersof the lagoon being destitute of any vegetablelife.
From this plain the land risesas a gentle sandy slope to a low
divide or rim (about twenty-fivefeet above the water) near the
sea beach. Not a tree breaks the monotonousexpanse, but
instead are low bushes (Cheno_PoaZium sanaZwicheum,San/alum
freycine/ianum,Scevo/a•veni•i) and broadareasof high, tu$socky
grass. On the narrow seaward slope the turf is shortand wiry,
and a broad band betweenthe bare shoresof the lagoonand the
beginningof the bush-grassis coveredmostlywith mattedbeds of
succulent 2øortu/aca/urea, and reddish-floweredSesuvium;•ortu-
lavastrum. Beautifulmorning-glories, yellow 2"ribu/us(reminding
one of ?olen/il/a), showy CaniSaris,and numerousother flowers
add a bit of color to the landscape.
Laysan is a bird paradise. Albatrosses(Diomedeaimmuta•ilis
and Z). n•k•rCes)by the thousandsrear their young here each
year, free from fear of molestationor injury. More 'numerous
even are the Sooty Terns (Sternafuli•¾nosa),while the Gray-
backTern (S. lunata), White Tern (Gy•is alba kiltlitzi), Noio
(Micranous hawaiiensis), and Noddy (•tnous s/olid•s) are all
abundant. Attractive and interesting birds are the boobies,of
which two species,S•la cyanopsand Sula piscator are on the
 [-Auk
386 FISHER,
Zlt'rds
ofZaysan
]sland. I_Oct.
islandin largenumbers. The droll Frigate Bird (•re•a•a aquila)
is here in all the glory of his bright red gular 'balloon,'and the
splendidRed-tailedTropic Bird (]>ha•?hon vubvicaudus) in satiny
plumageof the palestrosepink, is a familiar memberof the com-
munity; as he nervouslyflits by in the tropical sunshinehis
feathersglisten with the lustre of burnished metal. Among the
Procellariida•,the Bonin Petrels (•Eslrela•a hy•Poleuca) may be
mentionedas exceeding eventhe LaysanAlbatrossin numbers,but
as they live in deep burrowsone would hardly think it. Next
comethe Wedge-tailedand ChristmasIsland Shearwaters(J'uffnus
cunealusand J'. nalivilalis)• which are abundant,and the rare
Sooty Petrel (Oceanodroma fuli•inosa) nests in some numbers
during the winter months.
We were at once impressedby two striking facts: the great
numbersof birds and their surprisingtameness. Especiallytrue
is this of the sea-fowl. They seemedlittle put out by our pres-
enceand pursuedtheir ordinary dutiesas if we were an essential
part of the landscape. Even the land birds were fearless.
While we sat working, not infrequentlythe little warbler, or
Miller Bird, would perch on our table or chair backs, and the
LaysanRail and Finch would scurryabout our ,feet in unobtru-
sivesearchfor fliesand bits of meat. Each day at meal-timethe
crimson Honey-eater flew into the room and hunted for millers.
As we strolled over the island the Rails scamperedhither and
thitherlike tiny barnyardfowls,butsoonreturned,craningtheir
necksto discoverwhy they had sofoolishlyretreated. As for the
sea-birdsthere was scarcelya speciesthat seriouslyobjectedto
our closeapproach,or at any rate departedwhen we attemptedto
photograph them. In fact the albatrosseswere astonishingly
fearless,and would sometimeswalk up and examinesomeportion
of our belongings,as if they had knownus always.
It is far from my intentionto speakof the sea-birdsin detail
but merelyto sketchhastily,thoughperhapsinadequately,
the con-
ditions and creaturesamid which the five peculiar land birds have
presumablybeen evolved.
THE AUK, VOL. XX. PLATE XII.

LAYSAN FINCH AND NEST.

volxx]
•9o3 .-I F•s.ER,m,'ds
o/Z•ys•,,,
Z•Za,,d. 387

L•¾S•N FINCH. Telespiza cantans I/Filson.

The Laysan ' Finch' is a stocky, independent creature about
the size of a Black-headedGrosbeak,and its appearancestrongly
suggestsone of the big-billedfinches. The fully adult bird is a
light rich yellow, greenishon the back, and a deep brownish on
the wings and tail, the covertsand secondariesedged with yel-
lowish,and this plumage is not assumeduntil the individual is
over a year old, or perhaps not before the second season. The
female is like the male but a trifle duller in tone. Both illustra-
tions of Plate XII show the species in the subadult,brownish,
streaked feathering, which it will be seen is worn through the
first nesting season.
Telesfiza and the next species considered, ffimatione freethi,
are placedin the Drepanididze,
a family peculiarto the Hawaiian
Islands. The differencesbetween these two birds seein great,
and in fact about the only commoncharacter uniting the many
diverse speciesinto the compositefamily is the peculiar disa-
greeable musky scent said to emanatefrom birds in the flesh. I
detectedno suchodor on either of the Laysan species,but it may
have escapedme. The origin of the Drepanididm remains still a
sealed book, but their affinities seem to be American.
We muchenjoyedthe companyof the LaysanFinch. He is a
sociable,saucy and fearlessfellow, and captivatesone by his
nonchalant,independentair. We could not walk anywhere with-
out encounteringthem singly and in little companies-- the latter
being mostly males--diligently searchingfor food among the
bushes or frolicking, toward the center of the island, in open
stretchescovered with portulaca and a pinkish flowered sesuvium.
When disturbedthey eye the intruder in an inquisitive,half-
doubting manner, and utter their mellow, linnet-like call. If
pursuedthey do not fly far, but escapeby running along the
ground, or suddenly crouching under a grass tussock. Not
infrequently they hopped about the piazza where we were pre-
paringspecimens,and soughtfor food beneath the chairs. One
day whenI wasaloneand quite still, a handsomemale alighted
on a table at my elbow and proceededto explorea large heap of
loosepapers. He was soon lost in the rustling pile, which he
demolishedwith.greatenergyin his searchfor novelties.
388 ]•'ISHER,
tIt'rdsofLaysanZ•land. VAuk
h Oct.

7'elesfiiza
is not particularas to its food,but is fond of the soft
parts of grass stems,tender shootsof bushes,seeds,and espe-
cially of sea-fowleggs. I once frighteneda tern off her 'nest,'
and almostimmediatelya pair of Finchesflew to the egg. One
of them cracked a neat hole in the shell with a few strokes
of its powerfulbeak•andbegan to feed,althoughI was hastily
adjusting a camera only a yard or two away. Nor did the
removal of some rocks which obscured the view bother them
greatly,for they merelyhoppeda few feet awayand watchedme
calmly,resutningtheir repastas soonas I had finished. (Plate
XIII, Fig. •.) But suddenlya Rail rushedout of the grass,and
with feathers erect made for the Finches in such a determined
manner that the pair flew away and left a•orza•t•/asole possessor.
The latter lost no time in finishingthe egg. (Plate XIII, Fig. 2.)
Undoubtedlythe fincheseat a goodlynumber of eggs in the
courseof the season,for this was not the only caseobserved.
Their favoritenesting site is in the middleof a big tussockof
grass, somewhatnearer the ground than %œimatlone and .4cro-
cephaIususuallybuild. Chenopodiumbushesare also frequently
used for we found nestshere, as well as in grassclumpsbordering
the open near the lagoon--a location very popular with all the
land birds. In each instance, in the latter case, the nest was
wedgedin the centerof a tussock,well hiddenby tall grassstems.
It is constructedof handy materials, such as rootlets, twigs, and
coarse grass,and the whole is rather looselyput together. The
shallowcup, %a inches in diameter,is lined with shreddedgrass.
The position and character of the nest is shown in Plate XII.
There are three eggsin a completeset, althoughwe found some
nestswith only two. A fairly typical specimenis bluntlyovate,of
lustrelesswhite, with small blotchesand spotsof light sepia and
lilac gray, crowdedtoward the larger end, and very sparingly
present on the acute half. Sometimes the spotting is distributed
evenly over the whole surface. There is much variation in size
and color. A typicalexamplemeasures24 by •8 millimeters.
The fincheswereso unsuspiciousthat I had little difficultyin
securing photographsof them at the nest. The reader must
remember that none of the various precautions usual in bird
photographywere here taken. The camera was within a few feet
 AUK, VOL. XX. PLATE XII•.

• • , P
•,:.., ,• . .• • '.iI' •'•.
-:; ;'•' ,.• • ß • ' ,'-•..•."•

•- ., ,

F•. •. LAYSAN FINCH EATING TERN'S EGG.

LAYSAN RAIl. EATING TERN'S EGG,

Vol.
XX] F•suER,
Bt'rds
of•Laysan
œsland. 389
of the nest,in plain sight,and the operatorwas seated beside it
waiting his chance. The bird in the pictures spent nmchof its
time scratchingsand, just behind the grass tussock,and would
occasionallyhop onto the edge of the nest to see what was
happening.

L.a¾s^• Ho•¾-z•. Himatione freethi Rel•sc•ild.

The LaysanHoney-eateris a brilliantlittle bird, about the size

of a warbler,and very attractivewhen seenflitting here and there
in the soft green of chenopodiumbushes. Its plumage is of a
lustrousscarletvermilion,brighteston the croxvn,with wings,tail,
and abdomena dull sepia.
They are mostabundant in. the interior of the island near the
openplain borderingthe lagoon. Here on the extensivebeds of
succulentportulacathey maybe seen throughoutthe day, busily
walking about like pipits, either gathering insects or drinking
honey from the numeroushalf-blown buds. The brush-like
tongueof thesecreaturesrendersthe gatheringof honey,andsuch
tiny insectsas may infest the interior of corollas,an easytask.
In fact it xvasno uncommonoccurrence to seeone go from flower
to flower, and insert its bill betweenthe petals of a nearly opened
bud, xvitha certainprecisionand rapidity which suggested a hum-
mingbird,exceptof coursethat the Himationewas on its feet.
I alsoobservedthem catchinggreencaterpillarsfrom C•enope-
di•m sandwiche•mbushes,the leaves of which resemblethose of
its well-knowncongener--our garden pig-weed. The Honey-
eatersare partialto smallbrownish-gray
mothsor ' millers' which
aboundon the island. While we were at lunch, nearlyevery day
a Himatione flew in and extracted these creatures from cracks
betweenboards. It then graspedthe miller with one foot, after
the mannerof a bird of prey, clingingwith the other to the rough
board wall, and ate the soft parts of its quarry. After a few
momentsthe still fluttering victim was released,and the destruc-
tive search resumed. It became evident that the millers, relieved
of important parts of their anatomy,did not thrive after such
treatment. We heartilywishedthe little bird goodluck, for the
39¸ FISHER,
BirdsofLaysan
Island. [-Auk
LOct.

millers left unpleasant•nemories,and likewisethe imprint of their

fuzz on many of my negatives.
The nest, like that of Teles•iza,is built in grass tussocks,about
two feet from the ground. The structureis looselymade, of fine
grassa•,d rootlets,and the dainty bowl is lined with rootletsand
brown down frotn young Albatrosses(½D/omecZea immutabilis).
There are no large white feathers in the lining, at once making
the nest distinguishablefrom that of .4croce, phalusf•milœarœs,
which builds in neighboringtussocks. The completeset seems
to be four. The ovate egg is pure lustrelesswhite, blotched and
spottedat the large end with grayishvinaceous,and with fewer
light and dark spotsof Prout'sbrown. A typical specimenmeas-
ures i8 by I3.75 millimeters.
]]imationefreethi is closely related to the Apapane (Jr.. san-
guinea)of 'the largerHawaiian Islands. The derivationof the
two Laysan Drepanididmis therefore rather plain, for although
TeIespizais a monotypicgenus,it belongswith the large-billed
generaChlorbtoiOs , ]qhoaZacanthis,
and ZoxioiaZesof Hawaii, ]•seuaZo-
nestorof Maui, and Y-'sittacirostraof Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai,
and Hawaii.

MILLER ]BIRD. Acrocephalus familiaris (]qothschiI•t).

The sociable little Miller Bird is one of the Reed Warblers

belongingto the Sylviidm,a characteristicOld World group,
althougha certain Americangenus,]•ol/optila,is alsoincludedin
the family. It is curiousthat nowhereelse in the wholeHawa-
iian groupdoesany speciesof .4crocephalus occur. The genusis
a wide rangingone, extendingover the whole of the centraland
southern PalmarcticRegion,having also representativesin Aus-
tralia and South Africa, while one division of the group is
exclusivelyPolynesian. Many of the speciesare highly migra-
tory, and winterin the tropicalregionsof Asia and Africa,and in
the islandsof the Malay Archipelago. But the subgenusTartare,
or genusas someconsiderit, to whichthe Laysanbird belongs,is
a distinctlyPolynesiangroup. It is distributedoverthe islands
between3øonorthlatitude and 3ø0 south,and betweenlongitude
THE AUK, VOL. XX. PLATE XIV.

FIG. I. ACROCEPHALUS FAMILIARIS AND NEST.

FzG, 2. NEST OF ACROCEPI•IALUS FAMILIARIS.

Vol.
XX']
x9o3 .1 F•snv.
R,tlirdsofLaysan
Island. 39i
I20 ø or I25ø east and •2oø or I25 ø west. Oustalet• considers
that thisrestrictedgroup, Tartare, which has only eightoceanic
species shows perhaps closer affinities with •Serniera of Mada-
gascar,than with the Europeanand Asiatic .4crocephah•s
(l. •.,
p. 2xo). Tartare luscinia is found on Guam and Saipan, iz•
syrinx in the Catolines and on Pagan of the Mariana Islands,
2C.rehseion PleasantIsland, 71.cefuinoclialis
on Christmas Island,
2•.f•z'storon the Fannings,• mendanaon the Marquesas,27.lon4ff-
•'oslrz's
through
theSoc)ety
andPaumota
Archipelagos,
andfinally
27.familiaris on Laysan. I am not aware with what speciesfam-
iliarz• showsclosestkin, but • priori one would rather favor the
idea that the first coloniststo Laysancamefrom the Catolines or
the Ladrones (Mariana Islands) rather than from the south,for
the reason.that the genus is not present in the main Hawaiian
group.
The Miller Bird is one of the most abundantof the species
under considerationand is seento best advantageduringthe cool
of the morningor in late afternoon,for then it is very active, and
at timesmusical. During the heatedportionof the day,after the
custom of our wood warblers, it retires to remain in seclusion
among •hady bushes,or tall tussocksof grass where its nest is
made. Like mostof the birds on the island ,4crocephalus is rather
unsuspicious, though not by any means so tame as either the
Finchesor Rails. I have read that its congenersin other parts
of the world are quite shy, but many rules usualin bird manners
seem here to be thrown aside. That the little creatures are far
from nervous is demonstratedby the accompanyingillustration
(Plate XIV, Fig. x). The camerawasplantedaboutthirty inches
from the nest, and when everything was arranged I crouched
underthe instrument,and waited quietly for five minutestill the
bird returned.
Whenever in evidence,4crocephalus always appears busy. It
feeds largelyon mothsand other insects,and receivesits local
name from a fondnessfor millers,which,as already intimated,
aboundon the island. The little warblerdragstheseinsectsfrom
their secludedhiding placeswith muchskill. Its dull brownish-

•M. E. Oustale•, Les Mammifares et les Oiseaux des Isles Mariannes

NouvellesArchivesdu Museum,3rd series,VII, •895, 2 •2.
392 ' F•snER,
Birtls
o?];aysan
fsland. l-Auk
L Oct.

olive plumage renders it inconspicuous,and one scarcely takes

notice when it flies about the verandas, or into the dark corners of
a room, searchingfor its favorite food. We often saw this species
with Himationesgleaninginsectsin the broad putslanebedsnear
the lagoon.
The nest is built usuallyin the midst of a big tussockof g-rass,
and the birds seem to congregate along with the Finches and
Honey-eatersnear the openplain, severaltimes men•:ioned in fore-
goingpages. We were puzzled to find many nestsentirelycom-
pleted, but without eggs,and finally concludedthat the birds had
not yet begunto lay in any numbers. Only two sets,one of three
and the other (incomplete)of two, weretaken. The nest is com-
posed of dried grassstemsand blades,fine rootlets,and is lined
with rootlets,shreddedgrass and white albatrossfeathers,some
of the last being woven into the coarser structure of the nest.
These feathers are strictly characteristicof all the nestswe found,
so that the Miller Birds probablybegan very long ago to make
use of this convenient material. None of the other birds use the
large white feathers,althoughas already stated the Himatione
employssoft albatrossdown. The eggs vary in ground color
from the palestolive buff through greenishwhite to almost pure
white. The markingsconsistof olive blotchesand spotsof vari-
ousintensities,crowdedat the blunt end, and likewisevery tiny
lines and specks,scatteredover the whole egg. Sometimesthere
are drab shell marks. One egg wasas small as 19 by I4 milli-
metersand anotheras large as •z by x5.

L^¾s^• RAIL. Porzanula palmeri )•rahawk.

The LaysanRail is a wide-awake,inquisitivelittle creaturewith

a seeminglyinsatiable desirefor first-handknowledge. It is one
of the most naive, unsophisticated,and wholly unsuspiciousbirds
in the wholeavian catalogue. Usually it is confidingand familiar
in its relationswith man, yet sometimesholds aloof with a showof
reserve. It will occasionallyhide behind a bunch of grass,as if
afraid, and then suddenlysaunterforth with entire changeof
demeanor,and examine the intruder with critical care. One can
THE AuK, VOL. XX. PLATE XV.
-

F•½. •. LAYSAN RAiL ON

,.. _...•'•••••_. ß

Fro-. 2. NEST OF LAYSAN RAIL.

never tell just how he will be receivedby the next Rail. Often
they scurryaway as if pursued by a )•'e •w/r, but an insect will
stop th•m in their mad career, and, having promptlydisposedof
this interruption, they seem to forget their former fright and
walk about stretching their necks'in a highly inquisitive manner.
It is evident that they are incapable of pursuing any train of
thought for more than an instant. Their ideas seem to flash by
in kaleidoscopicsuccession,and within a minute they make as
many false starts as a monkey. One can scarcelyimaginemore
foolish and amusinglittle birds than these.
.Parzan•/a fia/meri is a very distinct form, and whence the
originalcolonistscameis rather difficult to conjecture. Justwhy
these first birds never left the island, as the Gold,en Plovers do
now, is also hard to say; unless,driven by strongwindsthey were
so completelyworn out and lost that they never dared to abandon
the welcom.e land. The fact remainsthat they did not leave, and
we now find a bird resembling.Porz•r,ain most respects,but with
wingswofullyuselessand short. The .P•rza•zatype of coloring
is presentin a much lighter and bleachedform.
The Rails are everywhereon the island in great numbers.
There is scarcelya bunch of grassbut harborsa pair. They
probablyhaveno seriousenemies,sothat the only check to their
increaseis spaceand food supply. It is possibleMan-o'-warBirds
may pick one up now and then, especiallythe chicks,but I saw
nothing to substantiatethis. Yet the Rails like to slink about in
the shadeof grasstussocksor bushes,muchin the sa•neway that
a chipmunk seeks the shadowof a log in preferenceto crossing
a bright sunny space. This trait suggestedthe idea that they
might have winged enemies. However if necessityor even incli-
nation calls, the Crakes show no aversion to coming out into the
sunshine,especiallyfor food, so that perhapsit is the hot sun
which causesthem to retire to cooler by-ways.
They spend a large part of their time creeping,mouse-like,in
and out of nooksand crannies,as if trying to satisfytheir genius
for exploration. Old petrel burrowsfallen in, low-bendingbushes
and grasstufts are searchedwith careand precisionin this unend-
ing quest. As they walk their headsare thrust forwardfrom side
to side,the •ery picturesof inquisitiveinterest. They usedsome-
 F Auk
394 F•s., iS'frets
t•LaysanIsland. LOct.

times to comeup and peer at my shoes,with one foot poised in

air. Scarcelya thing escapestheir beadyred eyes. The smallest
spider or beetle is snappedup with as muchavidity as a more
conspicuousseed.
We caughtall our specimensin an ordinarydip-net. Usually it
was only necessaryto placethe net on the ground edgewisewhen
presentlya rail would make its appearanceand proceedto examine
the 'new phenomenon'at close range. Often they would fairly
walk into the net, and Prof. J. O. Snyderobtaineda photograph
illustratingthis amusingincident.
In strollingthroughthe brushwe couldhear the Crakes calling
here and there. Their song is a plaintivehigh-keyedlittle rattle
which resemblesremotelyan alarm clock with a muffled bell, or
pebblesricochetingon a glass roof. I have observedthem stand-
ing underbushesin the shaderattling away in this manner,with
swollenthroatsandbills slightlyopened. I oncesawtwo approach
one another,with feathers erect and heads lowered, and begin
rattling in each others face. Then they suddenly ceasedand
slunk away in oppositedirections.
At the house the little Rails walked about the veranda in search
of foodwith far lessfearthan the chickens,andwhileProf. Snyder
and I were preparing specimens,not infrequentlya Rail or two
would be walking under our chairs,searchingfor morselsof meat.
They took no notice of Albatrossesand other sea birds. I saw
two in a lively serpentinechase about a young Gony's legs,the
big creature appearing like an uncouth mammothabovethe trim
little Rails.
They do not seemto exhibitany desireto fly, probablyhaving
learned from experiencethat their wings are no longer to be
relied upon. I have only seen them spreadtheir wingswhen
hopping up to a perch, or when running fast. I often chased
themto seeif they couldrise from the ground,but they would
not even try.
Their food consistsof smallinsects,seeds,green material,and
sea-birds' eggs. Their beaks are rather weak, and I doubt if
they break any eggs except the thinner shelled ones of the terns.
I did not myselfsee the Rail actuallypuncturean egg,but in
Rothschild's"Avifauna of Laysan," the followingnote from
Henry Palmer'sdiary is of interest.
Yol.
XX-[
t9o3 Fts•tE•,BirdsofLaysan
rs/and. 395

"While out this morningboth my assistantand I saw a little

Rail break and eat an egg. We had disturbed from its nest a
Noddy (Anous); immediatelythe Rail ran up and began to
strike at the egg shell with its bill, but the egg being large and
hard, he wasquite a long time before making a hole. The Rail
would jump high into the air, and come down with all its force
on the egg, until it accomplishedthe task, which once done the
egg was soonemptied. By this time the Tern cameback and
gavechase,but in vain." (Z. c., pt. I, p. x.)
Porzanulas lurk about the outskirts of tern coloniesall the time,
and I once had to frighten a Crake from the nest of a Tropic
Bird, while attemptingto photographthe egg. I also saw a Rail
rush at someTelespizasand drive them from a tern's egg,upon
which they werefeeding,as related in the accountof the Finch.
The Rail then set to and finishedthe repast,draggingthe embryo
about in an ineffectual attempt to swallow it. With such habits
it is dif•cult to seehow thesecreaturescan ever seriouslybe at a
loss to find food.
The followingepisodeillustrates,I think, very forciblythe fear-
lessnessof these Rails. While photographinga nest,I propped
back the mass of sedge stems which obscuredit. The camera
was only a few feet away, and during the adjusting of apparatus,
the Rail crept onto the eggsand energeticallybeganto coverher-
self withthe soft lining. After photographingher severaltimes,I
lifted her off, and moved the camera still closer, but almost at
once she slipped back again, and settled down contentedly.
Then, with the focusing cloth I persuadedher to retire to the
tall grass,near at hand. I ran back to the camera,but on turn-
ing perceivedmy rail skippingacrossthe flattenedgrassesin hot
pursuit, and I was able to make only a hasty inspectionof the
ground-glassbefore she had settled on the nest again. It was
under these circumstancesthat Plate XV, figure 2, was secured.
Figure x of the sameplate showsthe Rail.
The Rails make their nests either in the midst of thick tussocks
of tall grass,near the ground,or else in close-matted
clumpsof a
juncus-like sedge,whichgrowsin a narrowbandalongthe outer-
mostedgeof the lagoon-plain, just wherethe areaof bushygrass
and brushbegins. We had only to walk over the tangledbedsof
 ['Auk
396 F•s.ER,
Bt'rds
ofLaysaJx
Island. I_Oct.
this sedge,and watch where the Rails ran out, when a nest could
easilybe found. It is placed on the ground at the end of a little
tunnel, about five or six inches long, and is a roundish cavity,
lined aboveand on all sides,except the little entranceway, with
soft dried stems. The eggs are deposited in a little bowl-shaped
hollowaboutfour inchesin diameter(P1. XV, Fig. 2). We found
'severalsets of threes and a few incompletesets of twos. The
eggsare large in proportionto the bird, a typical speci•nen
measuring3 x by 2 • millimeters,and in contourthey are bluntly
ovate or elliptical ovate. The ground color is a pale olive buff,
closely and rather evenly spotted with pale clay color,or raxv
sienna,and faint lilac gray. The clay color is brightestand pre-
dominates. All the eggscollectedwere fresh. The young appar-
ently begin to hatch aboutthe middleof June.

LAYSANTEAL. Arias laysanensis Rez',•sc,•z'/a

•.

That an islet, scarcelythreemiles in its longestdimensionand

fully threethousandmiles fromcontinentalshores,shouldharbor
a peculiarspecies of thegenus•t•as, is,to saythe least,surprising.
The birds the•nselvesare scarcelyless peculiar than their distri-
bution. Most of us picture ducks as among the warlestof wild-
fowl, but the Laysan Teal, though not exactlytame, are at any
rate quite unsophisticated.
I have little to recordconcerning
their habits. They congregate
abouta smallsedge-bordered, brackish-waterpondnear the south
end of the lagoon. Here we saw theln eachday, sunningthem-
selves,and preeningtheir feathers on a little heap of rocksnear
the center of the pond. We saw them also waddlingabout in
other parts of the island,but not commonly. Near the house
therewasa pair whichprobablyhad a nestin the vicinity,for one
of them used to come up to the house after nightfall, and walk
aboutlike a barn-yardfowl. Mr. Schlemmersaidit wassearching
for millers. Although these ducks can fly perfectly well, they
ordinarilydid not take wing until approached
withina fewrods,
and then never went far. They much preferredto walk about,
which they did in twosand threes,gleaningtheir food as they
•'HE AUK, VOL. XX.

_ •F•½;.•. NEST OF LAYSAN TEAL.

,•N.'f/'t"."•,' ' ':.•",.':.!.t.-•-•':,:;'•,

•"' ....•', ":',.

-•"'•"' '1'Z• ....... ,' •,.-'k , -'--

''' ' ' • • •'"' --•-•',.

. .'-• .,, .•."0v. '.. -o
' •- •' "'' ',," •-',,,: - ß
.. ,,-,, . • •.'-., ..--
Fxc,, :. YOUNG OF LAYSAN TEAL,
Vo. xx-1
X9o3 / 397
proceeded. The stomach of a male collected near the pond was
gorged with sinall flies, resemblingthe common house-fly. We
did not observe any Teal near the oceanand it is probablethey
nevervoluntarilytake to salt water.
We discovered one nest within a couple of rods of the pond,
placed under a thick chenopodiumbush. Six eggsof the palest
green--almost white--rested in a shallow bowl constructedof
long dry sedges. I wished if possibleto securea pictureof the
female,so I photographedthe eggs(P1.XVI, Fig. i) and left theIn
till the followingmorning. But whenI returnedto the nest,three
of the eggshad hatched,one youngwas half out, and anotheregg
picked. In taking the accompanyingphotograph(PI. XVI, Fig.
2), one of the ducklings had to be removedin order to showthe
others. The type egg was preservedin alcohol. It lneasures55
by 38 millilneters,and in contouris a blunt ovate.
A few days later Prof. Snyder saw three old birds with broods,
one of which took to the pond. I also saw a baby swimming
about,the rest of the family being stonewherein the sedgetangle.
These young resemblethose of Mallards.
The Teal is the least commonof the five speciesjust considered,
and although I had no accurate Inethod of estimating I would
place the total numberof ducksconsiderablybelowolnehundred.
It will be an ill day for all the birdson Laysan, if a cat, pig, or mon-
gooseis ever allowedto land. Any or all of thesecreatureswould
make short work of eggs and young birds, and could break up
what is probablythe most interestingcommunityof sea-fowlin
the world.