The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-16

A restful Sunday calm pervaded the
harbor and the waterfront yesterday.
Where ships are lying alongside the
wharves the crews, dressed in their
Sunday best, came ashore and lounged
comfortably around the docks on vari-
Gus piles of merchandise, and spun
yarns or sang songs. sometimes giving
lusty voice to the accompaniment of
concertina. Those captains and their
wives who were not seeking recreation
at Waikiki or elsewhere on shore, ex-
changed visits from vessel to vessel
discussing the sailing merits of their
respective boats, talking over the trade
situation in the Hawaiian Islands, or
passing the time happily on quarter
decks, reading, smoking, EARNING and
admiring the beauties of the harbor
and enjoying the refreshing breezes
blowing down the valleys and reaching
the vessels in the stream, passing over
the city, alas! so that those in town felt
very little of their pleasant benefits
BIRDS OWN The ISLAND.
Captain Willer, of the bark Ceylon,
which recently arrived from Laysan
Island with a thousand tons of guano
and the shipwrecked crew of the bark
McNear, is a storehouse of interesting
information and pleasing anecdote. An
Advertiser reporter had the pleasure
of an interview with Captain Willer
yesterday. The captain and his wife
brought out carefully packed boxes OF
birds eggs, sea eggs, birds feathers
! and bills and wings, and so forth and
displayed them, relating many curious
incidents and stories relating thereto.
There are seventeen different kinds
/ of birds which frequent Laysan ISL
and" said Captain Willer, land they
/ think they own the island all by them
selves. They won't get out of the way
| for anybody, and fly and strut around
| like very lords of creation. You car
go up to them and knock them off theil
| nests, and very often it is necessary
| for you to swing your arms or a sticl
before your face while you are walking
| so thickly do some of them fly around
your head.
THE boatswain bird is very fond o
Laysan Island. Hundreds of thousands
of them make it their home. Wheneve
they hover round a vessel it is a SUR
sign of a coming gale. The males carr.
long, white and red feathers in thei
tails. The males take turn about will
the females sitting on the eggs. The.
dare not leave the eggs unguarGed TO
a minute, or else other birds will swool
down and devour them. The eggs ar
not particularly good to eat, but the
there are many other kinds of egg
which make excellent eating"
The captain exhibited several pairs o
wings belonging to the boatswain bird
Won't they make splendid orna
ments for a lady's hat?' he remarked
fondling them with pride. Then man
feathers of the "wideawake" wer
shown, silvery, silken, delicate, snow
white and tipped with black. they woul
make the heart of any of the fair Sc
jump with delight. n visitor remarlxe
that he had a rooster at home whic
boosted just such adornments, but tn
captain would have none of it, KNOWN
full we'll the value and beauty of tn
underwriters" plumage.
The 'man-of-war hawk" and hi
wicked ways were next discussed, afte
which the conversation drifted to cook
and cooking. Captain Willer went int
rhapsodies over his cook, and declares
he was absolutely the best institution
obtainable.
why, that man can take an immens
fish," declared the enthusiastic captain
and without cutting 1t in parts, ca
so prepare it for the table that when h
serves it one half is nicely boiled, Will
the other half is deliciously baked-an
the fish is whole-while separate sauc
is prepared for each differently cooke
part. People at the table can orde
, boiled or baked fish and get it from tn
same fish. o! 1 tell you, he's a wonder
Not only that, mind you. He can 6
to the butchers and get any old piec
of pork and so fix it that he will serve
in the guise of q tender, pink-eye
sucking pig, life-like enough, almos
to squeal''
The Ceylon will probably commenc
discharging today, and when her car
go's out and she has loaded the neces
sary ballast, Captain Willer will sa
away again for Laysan Island. He wi
take his family with him this trip.
Il saw piece in the paper the othe
day." said the captain, about the ship
wrecked men of the bark McNear find
ing it pretty uncomfortable in Honolul
without any money. 1 won't say it {
all of them, but good number of theI
wouldn't work on any excuse. The
would rather loaf on Laysan Island i
comparative luxury than be asked I
earn their bread in this port 1 brougf
them to this port for nothing. L won
4 get anything for it, and don't want any
) thing for doing so. But do you thin
} those fellows would lend me a han