114 CLAEEMONT GROUP. 



for the purpose of searching- for them^ and it was sup- 

 posed that one or two others which had come up to 

 lay escaped detection from the darkness of the nig*ht. 



On Aug-ust 31st^ we removed to an anchorag-e 

 under No. Y. of the Clare mont gToup^ and remained 

 there during' the following- day. The island is 

 about two-thirds of a mile in circumference, low 

 and sandy^ with a larg-e reef extending- to wind- 

 ward. The island is thinly covered with coarse 

 g-rass and strag'g-ling- hushes^ with one larg-e thicket 

 containing- a few trees^ of which the tallest is a 

 solitary Mimusops. We found qunil here in g-reat 

 plenty^ and they afforded g'ood sport to a " First of 

 September" shooting- party^ provided with a setter. 

 At leng-th the poor quail had their quarters so 

 thoroug-hly beaten up^ that several^ in attempting- 

 to escape from the island^ were observed to fall into 

 the water from sheer exhaustion. Nor did the 

 birds receive all the benefit of the shot^ for Captain 

 Stanley^ while observing- with the theodolite^ became 

 unwitting-ly a targ-et for a juvenile shooter ; but^ 

 fortunately^ no damag-e was done. Some turtle 

 were seen at nig-ht^ but they were too war}^ to be 

 taken. I found several nests with egg-s^ by probing- 

 in all the likely places near their tracks with my 

 ramrod ] in passing- throug-h an eg-g-^ the end of the 

 rod becomes smeared Avith the contents^ and comes 

 up Avith a little sand adhering- to it^ directing* one 

 where to dio-. 



No. YI. of the Claremont g-roup was next visited. 



