358 Mr. E. Newton on the Land-Birds 



In the evenings, there being a bright moon, we saw many 

 flying foxes round some trees close to M. Baillon's house. I 

 also saw them sailing about several times during the hottest 

 part of the day. We were told that a species of snake was very 

 common here, but we failed to get it. 



On the 19th we returned to Mahe and remained for the 

 night at the house of M. Leflecher, near Cape Ternay, where I 

 again had the opportunity of enjoying the excellent hospitality 

 of the Seychellois. At this place we were told that snakes were 

 not uncommon. The next morning we w^alked up an exceedingly 

 pretty valley at the foot of the Morne Blanc and across the ridge 

 about 1800 feet, and descended to the eastward of Port Victoria, 

 which we reached the same evening. 



The next few days I spent in packing up, as the steamer was 

 due on the 23rd. I got, however, three live " Ponies d'eau " 

 from Denis Island, some seventy miles to the northw^ard, which^ 

 after various vicissitudes, safely reached the Zoological Gardens, 

 and appear to be our common Gallinula chloropus. 



In the early morning of the 24th the mail came in, and before 

 sunrise I was on my way to Aden. 



In concluding this paper, I must ofiFer my warmest thanks to 

 Mr. Swinburne Ward for his hospitality and his information on 

 various subjects of natural history, and to Mr. Gould, Mr. George 

 Gray, and Mr. Sclater for their assistance in helping me to de- 

 termine the several species I brought home with me. I trust that 

 Dr. Wright, now on a visit to the archipelago, will not only be 

 successful in his own particular line of natural history, but will 

 also contribute some further information on their ornithology, as 

 I feel no doubt that other species of birds remain to be discovered, 

 many parts of Mahe and Ladigue not having been worked by 

 me at all, and the sea-birds having been almost entirely neg- 

 lected. 



In the subjoined List of Seychelles birds, a *' ^ " is prefixed to 

 the names of those species which I have every reason to believe 

 are peculiar to the islands, and a " J ^^ to the names of those which 

 have been introduced. 



