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MAR., ?902. I THE CONDOR 5t and millions of them and the astonishing ef- frontery of the intrepid thieves! I couldn't stand still two minutes before one would be clawing at my shoe, and from all directions the crabs would be edging toward me with a stealthy, sidelong, intermittent movement, and great, wide-open, bulging, staring eyes. As an instance of their amazing intpudence I laid down three or four birds in front of me in order to wrap up some eggs. After wrapping three or fou;r I glanced at the birds and an in- satiable glutton of a crab had chewed off an eye.lid of one while two others were picking at the wings of another bird and yards away other crabs were hurrying forward to partici- pate iu the toothsome repast. I scared back the nearest and felt a nip at my foot. There was an old reprobate trying to crawl into a lit- tle crack in my shoe, while near at hand came others to reinforce him. I actually had to wrap the birds up before doing anything else. Now if I wanted to give you a distorted ver- sion or exaggerate this statement in the least I would elaborate in the manner in which they carried off eggs while I was wrapping birds, but I haven't given you any thing but an abridged condensation of the facts! I wrap- ped the birds and eggs iu a hurry and left the spot. But it is laughable to see a crab seize an egg as they do Kith boobies' eggs when occas- ion offers. They grasp it tenderly in that long arm and sidle off in a fashion highly amusing. The men on the islands tell me the crabs often take the young boobies from under their pa- rents and I can easily believe it. They also say but one young bird is reared though two eggs are usually hatched. I cannot recall now having seen two fair-sized young of either the blue-faced or variegated species, though I have seen plenty of nests of both with one yonng bird and two eggs. The land crabs are one of the unpleasant features to a collector down here. On Socorro Island which we visited I wandered along under a wide-spreading mangrove-like tree and would see an inviting looking dead stump with an excellent roosting hole for a pair of the rare screech owls. Running my arm down to the full length I would jerk it out with a great big orange and pink land crab closely hugging a sore finger that had inadvertently been placed in his light. A careful inspection of other similar holes usually revealed one of the detestable cannibals snugly ensconsed therein. While larger than Clipperton crabs they are not as plentiful and one could lay doxvn x 5 or 2o minutes I think before a crab would venture near. They are more cautious on this island, due perhaps to the redtails which I think eat them. On San Benedicte and Clarion islands one is unaware of the ex- istence of crabs till he has dug five or six feet down with his hands into a fresh looking shear- water's nest. Then stretched out in the boiling sun, covered with dirt and perspiration and straining every muscle to reach the end of the hole, you feel a decided pressure on the tips of two or three fingers and after a long, strong pull outcomes a fine red land crab in the place of the shearwater you hoped for. But enough of these ever-present pests. On San Benedicte I got into a colony of fri- gate birds that were nesting ou the ground. At a mile distant a nnmber were seen circling about a knoll and I went over to see what was the attraction. Webster boobies were nesting in the long grass in the little runs and hollows, this being the first time I had seen them nest- ingon the ground. On Clarion and in the Galapagos they always nested in trees and bushes, while here there were no trees. Ap- proaching the ridge 200 or more frigates were seen sitting closely together. I took off my hat and crouching low, worked my. way care- fully along to a favorable position for a photo- graph but it was facing the bright ?un so I de- termined to get around to the other end of the colony. Circling a little mound I came plump into a lot of nests with young birds two weeks old, and up the hill seventy-five yards were 5o0 or more setting birds. I sneaked across and into a deep gully that ran parallel with the ridges on which they were nesting. Getting near the upper end of the c'dony I cautiously raised my head and planted the camera at a distance of twenty yards and got a picture. Then I slowly crept forward to fifteen yards and gradually closer and as the birds were uot seriously disturbed I walked right up to the nearest one but they stayed where they were. l?or the next hour I maneuvered through that mass ol ? birds trying the camera first in one position and then in another. l?inally I placed the tripod squarely over a setting bird and got a snap. Then I decided to get a picture showing the eggs in the nests. I placed the camera and started out to scare off 2o or 3 birds in front of it, and it was necessary to elevate the- birds with my foot to persuade them to leave. I was only able to use three plates in this colony having taken but six ashore. It was the most compact colony of nesting frigates I have seen. And the flying lice! Some birds would have two or three dozen in the nest. When left suddenly by the bird they fluttered into my face, hands and head and the tenacity of their grip was bewildering. Sometimes there were a dozen on the throat of a setting booby, something I never noticed elsewhere. Leisurely yours, R. H. BECK. Five miles off Acapulco. J?Nt?R, 5. x92. We are now sailing wing and wing for the entrance of the harbor and will be ashore to-