The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-12-07
STRANGE BIRDS
ON The ISLAND
cLIPPERToN HAS STRANGE
THINGS THAT WEAR
FEAThEHS.
crustaeeans Eat Everything Green and
5Urrow Deep fer the seeds-onIy
Possible Way 70 Make Garden 10
70 Raise u Upon Stltts.
(san Francisco Chronicle

(San francisco Chronicle.)
Mystery has always attaches to the
islands Of the. sea. And there also
is animal life strange and queer. No
where in the wide Pacific is this fact
better exemplitied than in that atoll
known as Chpperton Island. one OF
Mexicos possessions, some 1900
miles south of San Francisco.
Clippterton has the queerest bird
and animal life of all the islands lying
north of the Galapagos. 1t has more
In common with all the islands OF the
South seas 1t has it's legendary hid
den treasure. Here have men wasted
fortunes and broken hearts over fruit
less search for pirate gold, while
! others have achieved wealth through
honest toll in extracting the riches de-
posted by mother nature.
When approaching this low-lying
island. with its wonderful uplifted
castle-like rock on the north side, one
sees first what appears to be an inn
mense swarm of bees lowering in the
air, and his wonder increases at this
strange phenomenon on nearer APP
proach when he finds that this seeming
swarm of bees is in reality a great
cloud of birds, which nest by millionA
on this lone island and whose presence
has ben so undisturbed by man for
many generatins that little fear Of that
other biped which has no wings ever
enters their minds.
Wisdom Of BOBBY Bird.
But of all the birds of Clipperton Is
land, of which there are three dis
tinct families, none is SO strange as
the gannet the one which sailors call
the BOBBY. When strolling about the
island one thinks that the men Of the
sea had some reason in this designa-
ton, for he finds the birds so tame
that he may walk among them when
they nest and even lift them from
their eggs with no further protest
than hoarse croak. But a close OBJ
server may note other peculiarities
about the gannet which certainly
makes the name BOBBY misnomer.
It's other characteristics are such as
to indicate that it Is deep thinker
and wise bird.
The gannet is satisfied with a slight
depression In the coral reef for it's
nest and here, in order to bring forth
its young and raise 1t in peace, It
seems to have entered into a pact
with the peculiar land crabs which in
fest the island whereby one of the two
eggs laid annually is given to the 9TH
er, which is then unmolested during
the process of Matching. Each BOBBY
hen lays two eggs every year and as
soon as this process begins watch
full crab appears and patiently awaits
the depositing OF the eggs. With the
appearance of the first egg there en-
sues an aggressive movement on the
part of the crab which seems to be the
result of generations of instinct
Yields One Egg to Crab.
The crab edges closer and closer to
the mother bird and when the pow
erful beak threatens it drops to the
ground with close drawn legs and
claws andw ats until the birds atten-
ton is withdrawn. This patient and
persistent siege continues day after
day and night after night until the
gannet is worn to irritation and it
rolls one of the eggs from its nest
as a tribute to the crabs persistence.
This ends the struggle and the boo
by is left in peace to proceed with the
Matching Of it's young. When the
young bird is born the male and fe-
male boobies take turns in watching
the nest and fishing for food for them
selves and the young one. AS the
young bird grows stronger It begins
to wander about and is then consid-
cred able to protect itself from the
| attacks OF the crabs. It's appetite
grows with its body and it now keeps
the old birds busy supplying 1t with
| food.
Now is developed new phase OF
bird life. The young BOBBY which con-
tinues under its parents care until it
is one year old. has perfectly defined
territory where it reigns supreme. For
about ten feet square around the place
where it was born is sacred ground so
far as the young gannet is concerned
and he brooks no interloper in that
dooryard.
Habits Of the Tern.
Should some other young BOBBY pre-