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Mark Twain and Tropicbirds
Sulphur doesn't bother this old bird!
© Brocken Inaglory
When Mark Twain visited Hawaii in 1866, he was able to inspect a live volcano, Halema’uma’u, which he described as “a crimson cauldron.” Twain concluded his impressions of the hellish scene by writing, “The smell of sulfur is strong, but not unpleasant to a sinner.” That eruption came to an end in 1924, and life awakened in the crater in a different form. White-tailed Tropicbirds began to nest there, on ledges along the crater’s 300-foot cliffs. Then in March 2008, the crater’s volcanic spark rekindled. Vast clouds of gas belched forth, as they do today. But the tropicbirds seem undaunted by the smell of sulfur, and continue to fly across the crater, their shimmering white forms appearing and disappearing through the crater’s ghostly cloud.
BirdNote®
Mark Twain and Tropicbirds
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
[Rumbling volcano]
When Mark Twain visited Hawaii in 1866, his timing was perfect to inspect a live volcano. He ventured out at night, on horseback, to watch molten lava vividly red against the dark sky. [Rumbling volcano]
From an overlook above the half-mile-wide crater named Halema’uma’u, Twain described the eruption as “a crimson cauldron,” with “streams of liquid and gorgeously brilliant fire,” and “circles and serpents and streaks of lightning all twined and wreathed and tied together.” “The place below looked like the infernal regions.”
Never at a loss for an ironic twist, Twain concluded his impressions of the hellish scene by writing, “The smell of sulfur is strong, but not unpleasant to a sinner.”
The eruption Twain witnessed came to an end in 1924. Life awakened in the crater in a different form. White-tailed Tropicbirds began to nest there, laying eggs on ledges along the crater’s 300-foot cliffs.
[Calls of White-tailed Tropicbirds]
Then in March 2008, the crater’s volcanic spark rekindled. Vast clouds of gas belched forth, as they do today. But, perhaps echoing the spirit of Mark Twain, the tropicbirds seem undaunted by the smell of sulfur. They continue to fly across the crater, their shimmering white forms appearing and disappearing through the crater’s ghostly cloud.
[Rumbling volcano]
For BirdNote, I'm Michael Stein.
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Sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Rumbling volcano, audio recordist not known, and White-tailed Tropicbirds [167442] by Jon Erickson.
BirdNote's theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org May 2017/2020 Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# twainm-WTTR-01-2012-05-23 twainm-WTTR-01
http://www.twainquotes.com/18661116u.html - text of Mark Twain’s article on the volcano in The Sacramento Daily Union, November 16, 1866
http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/birds/rlp-monograph/pdfs/03-PHAE-GRUI/WTTR… about tropicbirds nesting in Halema’uma’u Crater
Bob Sundstrom
Writer