Bryant.] 64 [October 17, 



some Importance from the quantity of salt which is made in the neigh- 

 borhood, and which, if labor could be procured, could be increased to 

 almost any extent. I am much indebted to Mr. Daniel Sargent, the 

 American Vice- Consul, at this port, for much valuable information 

 concerning the Bahamas, and to himself and amiable family for mak- 

 ing my visit so agreeable that I left the island with much regret. 



The most curious feature of the island is the salt lake or salina. 

 This is the remains of the original lagoon which once occupied the 

 greater j^art of the island, and which has been gradually filled up so 

 evenly that the portion which still remains is nowhere more than a 

 few feet in depth. la crossing one part of the lake, a distance of 

 about twelve miles, the water was nowhere over two feet in depth, 

 and for nearly the same distance in another direction, not over three, 

 and this only for a very short distance. Almost everywhere it varied 

 from ten to twenty inches. In crossing at its widest part, the shore 

 would be invisible if it were not for the number of small islands scat- 

 tered about it. The bottom varies from a hard rock to a soft mud. 

 I saw no Crustacea in the lake, or fish, but large quantities of small 

 mollusks ; of three species, two bivalves and one univalve. The avi- 

 fauna of the island presents the same general character as observed 

 in the other Cays, and though I did not obtain all the species pre- 

 viously found, I have no doubt that a longer stay would have enabled 

 me to find them. The following list includes only such birds as were 

 not seen by me during my first visit, or as presented some new fea- 

 ture that seemed worthy of notice. Those seen at Inagua are marked 

 with an *, those seen at Nassau with a f- 



Falco. 

 f * Palco peregrinus Linn. § 



In descriptions of hawks, it is generally stated that they kill their 

 prey at once. This is not always the case. While crossing the lake 

 at Watling Island, I saw a Duck Hawk seize a Blue-bill (Anas marila), 

 which at my approach it dropped. The poor duck presented a most 

 horrible sight, the hawk having stripped the skin completely from the 

 head and upper part of the neck, without apparently inflicting any 

 other injury, as the duck was able both to swim and dive with ease. 



Buteo. 

 f * Buteo borealis Linn. 



Two specimens, one at Nassau, the other at Inagua ; this is probably 

 the reddish hawk mentioned in my previous list. 



§ I am satisfied that the American Peregrine Falcon should not be separated 

 even as a variety from the European bird, or from the Falco nif/riceps of Cass. A 

 pair in the cabinet of the Smithsonian Institution collected by Mr. McFarlane in 

 the Hudson's Bay country, represent typically the two styles— the small European 

 Peregrine and the larger atiatum. 



