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Notes on the Birds Peculiar to Laysan Island, Hawaiian Group

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Notes on the Birds Peculiar to Laysan Island, Hawaiian Group 3S4 V'lS,•ER,Birds of La),san Island. FL AukOct. 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 island as 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 lastly the LaysanTeal (•tnas laysanensis).I usethe term ' land birds' loosely,in con- tradistinctionto sea-fowl,multitudes of which breed here through- out the year. The presenceof these speciesis all the more remarkablebecause none appear on neighboringislands, more or less distant, someof which are very similar to Laysan in structure and flora. Reachingout towardJapan from the main Hawaiian group is a long chainof volcanicrocks, atolls,sand-bars• and sunkenreefs, all insignificantin size and widely separated. The last islet is fully two thousandmiles from Honolulu and about half-way to Yokohama. Beginningat the east,the more importantmembers of this chain are: Bird Island and Necker (tall volcanicrocks), French Frigate Shoals, Gardner Rock, Laysan, Lisiansky, Mid- way, Cure, and Motell. Laysanis eighthundred miles northwest- by-westfrom Honolulu,and is perhapsbest knownas beingthe home of countless albatrosses. We sightedthe island early one morning in May, lying low on the horizon,with a great cloud of sea-birdshovering over 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.x9o3xxq -I rIS•,•, z•irdsofz,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 sweepshoreward with 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 mileslong by one and onehalf broad. In the centeris a wholly enclosedlagoon, cove?ing perhaps one hundred acres. This is surroundedby a broad, level plain, that part nearest the very saline watersof 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_PoaZiumsanaZwicheum, San/alum freycine/ianum,Scevo/a •veni•i) and broad areasof high, tu$socky grass. On the narrow seaward slope the turf is short and wiry, and a broad band betweenthe bare shoresof the lagoon and the beginningof the bush-grassis coveredmostly with matted beds 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(Diomedea immuta•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 (Sterna fuli•¾nosa),while the Gray- back Tern (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 386 FISHER,Zlt'rds of Zaysan ]sland. I_Oct.[-Auk islandin large numbers. The droll Frigate Bird (•re•a•a aquila) is here in all the glory of his bright red gular 'balloon,' and the splendidRed-tailed Tropic Bird (]>ha•?honvubvicaudus) in satiny plumageof the palestrose pink, 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 exceedingeven the LaysanAlbatross in 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 (Oceanodromafuli•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- sive searchfor 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, but soonreturned, craning their necksto discoverwhy they had sofoolishly retreated. As for the sea-birdsthere was scarcelya speciesthat seriouslyobjected to our closeapproach, or at any rate departedwhen we attempted to photograph them. In fact the albatrosseswere astonishingly fearless,and would sometimeswalk up and examinesome portion of our belongings,as if they had known us always. It is far from my intentionto speakof the sea-birdsin detail but merelyto sketchhastily, though perhaps inadequately, the con- ditions and creaturesamid which the five peculiar land birds have presumablybeen evolved. THE AUK, VOL. XX. PLATE XII. LAYSAN FINCH AND NEST. vol•9o3xx] .-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-billed finches. The fully adult bird is a light rich yellow, greenishon the back, and a deep brownish on the wings and tail, the coverts and 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 emanate from 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 much enjoyedthe companyof the Laysan Finch. He is a sociable,saucy and fearlessfellow, and captivatesone by his nonchalant,independent air. 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 when I was aloneand 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 .great energy in his searchfor novelties. 388 ]•'ISHER,tIt'rds of LaysanZ•land. hV AukOct. 7'elesfiizais 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 almostimmediately a pair of Finches flew to the egg. One of them cracked a neat hole in the shell with a few strokes of its powerfulbeak• and began to feed,although I 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 merelyhopped a few feet awayand watchedme calmly,resutning their repastas soon as 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•/a sole possessor. The latter lost no time in finishingthe egg. (Plate XIII, Fig. 2.) Undoubtedlythe finches eat a goodly number of eggs in the courseof the season,for this was not the only caseobserved. Their favoritenesting site is in the middle of a big tussockof grass, somewhat nearer the ground than %œimatloneand .4cro- cephaIususually build. Chenopodiumbushes are also frequently used for we found nests here, as well as in grassclumps bordering the open near the lagoon--a location very popular with all the land birds.
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