Leo Decimus, that scoffing pope, as Jovius hath registered in the Fourth book of his life, took an extraordinary delight in humouring of silly fellows, and to put gulleries upon them, by commending some, persuading others to this or that: he made ex stolidis stultissimos, et maxime ridiculos, ex stultis insanos; soft fellows, stark noddies; and such as were foolish, quite mad before he left them.

The aquatic species were also familiar to us; but the habit of one kind, of a sooty-black colour, generally called noddies, was quite newthat of building their nests, which are constructed of seaweed and contain only one egg, in trees.

The fish were attended by flocks of terns and noddies, the former the beautiful Sterna melanauchen.

Great numbers of boobies and noddies came about us, but our distance from the shore was too great and our stay too short to send on shore for birds' eggs.