Captain Alexander on the Pitch- Lake of Trinidad. 97 



finding that Admiral Cochrane had failed, and being convinced 

 that any farther attempt would be useless, he let the matter drop-. 

 Forty miles to the southward of the pitch-lake is Point du 

 Cac, which forms the south-west extremity of the island, and on 

 one side of the Boca del Sjei-pe. On this cape is another natu- 

 ral curiosity which is well worth seeing, although the distance 

 from Port of Spain renders it rather a difficult operation to pro- 

 ceed thither. What renders this point so interesting to the 

 stranger is an assemblage of mud-volcanoes, of which the largest 

 may be about 150 feet in diameter: they are situated in a plain, 

 and are not more than 4 feet elevated above the surface of the 

 ground, but within the mouths of the craters boiling mud is 

 constantly bubbling up. At times the old craters cease to act, 

 but when that is the case new ones invariably appear in the vi- 

 cinity. The mud is fathomless, yet does not overflow, but remains 

 within the circumference of the crater. From what I recollect 

 of the Crimea, I should say that there is a remarkable similarity 

 between it and Trinidad ; — geologically speaking, in both there 

 are mud-volcanoes, in both there are bituminous lakes, and both 

 have been frequently visited with earthquakes. 



Berwick Barracks, 

 September 1832. 



On the Yontli — Age — Diseases — Sleep, and Death of Northern 

 Birds. By Frederick Faber. 



In tracing the gradual development of birds from the egg to 

 the period of puberty, we find that the time of youth, or their 

 unfruitful age, lasts but a short time, as many species breed 

 the very next spring. If we assume that, as well as the manr- 

 malia, the period of their existence bears to that of their 

 growth the proportion of five to one, they reach, as far as we 

 know, a very advanced age. It is impossible to give cor- 

 rectly the maximum which each species attains, and I shall 

 not attempt to investigate it with regard to tl>e northern birds, 

 for the results would be too vague to excite much interest 

 The reason of the difficulty in determining precisely the age of 



VOL, XIV. NO. XXVII. JANUARY 1832. G 



