Page:Condor6(6).djvu/18

Nov., 9o41 THE CONDOR ?$9 Albatrosses have a habit of maltreating their neighbors' children, particularly just after they have fed their own young and while the latter are still annoying them by petitioning for more. The old bird having repeated the process shown in the illustrations some eight or ten times finds herself pumped quite empty. She now pecks back at her nestling, Or runs off and trounces some neighboring young, provided the parents are absent. Figure ? shows a black-looted albatross (Z)iamedea ni?ripes), a species which lives only on the beaches near the water, wooling and mauling a nestling. Its own young is seen at a little distance. The albatrosses pursue their varied occupations on Laysan for ten months of each year, and during September and October spread far and wide over the north Pacific for a short vacation. S/an/Cord University, California. An Early Notice of Philippine Birds BY RICHARD C. MCGREGOR N the library of the Ethnological Survey in Manila is a curious old set of quarto volumes containing "A Collection of Voyages ancl Travels"a to all parts of the world, including accounts of shipwrecks, fights with pirates, and other advent- ures by land and sea. In the fourth volume is given the narrative of Dr. John Careft? "A Doctor of the Civil Law, well provided with Mony to make him accept- able in all Parts," who through crosses at home was led to nlake a journey round the ?vorld. He left Italy, his native land, in I693 and returned in I699. His quaint observations on all manner of things in the countries he visited are enter- taining if of no more value. He spent some time in the Philippines during the years x696 and '97. His account of the birds seems to be worth reproduction as containing very early n()tices of several well known species. The account of the birds begins on page 454 as follows: "Among the Birds of the Islands the Tavon" deserves to have special Mention aA I Collection I of ] Voyages and Travels, [ Some now first Printed from Ort?inal [ ,1Ianuscrt)?ts. I Others Translated out of Foreign I,anguages, and now I first published in ?tglt?h. [ To which are added some few that have formerly ap- [ pear'd in English, but do now for their Excellency I and Scarceness deserve to be Reprinted. [rule] In four Volumes. [rule] With a General prt?vac?, giving an Account of the NAVIGATION, from its first Beginning to the Perfection it is now in, &c. [rule] The whole Illustrated with a great Number of Useful Maps and Cuts, all Engraven on Copper. [rule] The Authors contain'd in this Volume, see over Leaf. [rule] Vol. IV. [rule] London: [ Printed by H. C. for Aw?. s?/t? and Joa? Cat?rtC?llX. X. at ? the l?lack-?ze,an in Pater-noster-Row, MDCCIV. Although projected in four volumes there were added four more making eight.in the set examined. The title pages differ in some of the later volumes. bA Voyage round the World, by Dr../ohn 1,'ranels Gemelli 6?zreri, containing the most remarkable Things in Turkey, Persia, India, China, the Philz)?pine-Islands and New ?)?ain. Translated from the Italian. (pp. ?-6o5) It is not stated where this was first published. Perhaps it was never printed in the original. cMeg?apodiuscumingiDillwyn. OfthelamilyMegapodidzeormound-builders, including 7 genera all confined to to the Oriental and Australian Regions. The genus Megapodius. according to Sharpe, contains 17 species, distributed frotn the Mariannes to Austlaha. ?Six species are found ill New Guinea, but five of these range to other islands. 3/. cuming'i is the only species recognized in the Philippines where ?t occurs on nearly all the islands. Both from the name given and the description of the peculiar nesting habits there is no dpubt that our author xefers to this bird, The bird is very generally called "Tabon," but "v" and "b" being more or less interchangeable in the native dialects will account for his eallingit "Tavon." It has nothing to do with a "Sea Fowl" as we understand that term. It is plainly colored and might be desbribed as black. The neck and legs, however, are not long thoit does have very heavy feet and long strong claws. The description of the nesting habits is accurate enough but the nests are by no means always near the water and it is doubtful if anything short of a tidal wave would trouble them. The wonderful embryology, as described, it is needless to say is a pure fabrication. The tabon probably nests throughout the year. have taken eggs in May and in October.