374 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Sea-birds of British Honduras. 



a stranded log or spit of sand every here and there appearing 

 above water. 



Though the breeze continued blowing freshly all night, it was 

 too much ahead to enable Sam to make Cay Bokel, a small Cay 

 at the southern end of Turneff; so, after passing out through 

 the channel near English Cay, we had to beat up to the anchorage 

 under the lee of the former island, and it was midnight before 

 we came to anchor. In the mean time Mr. R. and I m.ade our- 

 selves as comfortable for the night as the deck of the schooner 

 would allow, having to change over at every tack. At the first 

 trace of dawn we were glad enough to turn out, and, coffee over 

 (before which one does as little as possible in the tropics), the 

 schooner was again got under weigh, when a tack or two took 

 her through a narrow channel into one of the lagoons of Turneff. 

 Here we just crept along, with scarcely wind enough to fill the 

 sails, but startling the few Pelicans {Pelecanusfuscus) that were just 

 waking up and stretching themselves before leaving their roost- 

 ing-places in the mangrove-trees. Bald-pate Pigeons {Columba 

 leucocephala) , in small flocks of three and four, flew across the 

 bows just out of shot : otherwise all was quiet, and the prospects 

 of spoils from Turneff were not very promising. 



Still Sam said Man-of-war Cay would prove fruitful ; so for 

 Man-of-war Cay we steered, the breeze freshening as the 

 morning advanced. Before reaching the Cay in question, we 

 passed into another lagoon, through an opening in the man- 

 groves. A few Shags [Phalacrocorax floridanus) now flew 

 round, and I shot several as we came to anchor. There was no 

 lack of birds now; for on our approach a cloud of Man-of- 

 war Birds {Fregata aquila) rose and hung over the Cay, like 

 Rooks over a rookery ; Shags hurried out of the bushes, their 

 laboured flight contrasting with the apparently effortless hovering 

 of their fellow-colonists (no Eagle flies with the ease of a Man- 

 of-war Bird) ; and here and there a White Gaulin [Egretta 

 candidisshna) peered out to see the cause of the commotion. The 

 small canoe or dorey was soon lowered ; and taking Joe (Sam^s 

 brother) to paddle, we started off for a closer examination. By 

 keeping close to the mangroves on the leeward (W.) side, we 

 were able to reach the Gaulins^ nests, which however were 



