120 CAIENCEOSS ISLAND. 



Sterna melnnauchen^ and mixed up with them a few 

 individuals of the still rarer Sterna gracilis. 



We anchored under Cairncross Island^ on the 

 afternoon of Sept. 3rd^ and remained during* the 

 following* day. The island is about a quarter of a 

 mile in leng-th^ low and sandy^ covered in the centre 

 with tall trees^ and on the outskirts with smaller 

 ones and bushes. These larg*e trees {Pisonia 

 graridis) form very conspicuous objects from their 

 gTeat dimensions^ their smooth^ lig*ht bark^ and leaf- 

 less^ dead appearance. Some are from eighty to one 

 hundred feet in heig'ht^ with a circumference at the 

 base of twenty feet. The Avood^ however^ is too soft 

 to be useful as timber. JSTowhere had we seen the 

 Torres Strait pig*eon in such prodigious numbers as 

 lierC; crossing* over in small flocks to roost^ and 

 returning* in the morning* ; 3^et manj^ remained all 

 day feeding* on the red^ plum-like fruit of 3Iimusops 

 Kaukii. In the first evening not less than one 

 hundred and fifty-nine pigeons were brought off after 

 an hour's work by seven shooters^ and next day a still 

 greater number were procured. Being large and 

 well flavoured birds^ they formed no inconsiderable 

 addition to our bill of fare^ and appeared on the 

 table at every meal^ subjected to every possible 

 variety of cooking. Some megapodii also were 

 shot^ and many eggs of a fine tern^ Onychoprion 

 Panaya, were picked up. 



