384 Journal of Travel and Natural History 



worth much, but I thought one of the young birds might do for 

 supper, so after a fight, in which he defended himself bravely, 1 

 got one by the neck, and carried him home, if I may be allowed 

 to call our temporary refuge by that sacred name. The bird was 

 tender enough, being young, but I am afraid his parents had reared 

 him on fish. 



There was another bird that we frequently saw on the island, 

 but we never discovered its nest, if indeed it had any at that time. 

 The captains called it a sea pigeon : it somewhat resembled a 

 common pigeon in colour and shape, and in its red legs, but it was 

 more slender and web-footed. 



We found several skeletons of the pelican, but saw none of the 

 living birds. I suspect they must be migratory, as I have often 

 seen the live birds in the bay of San Francisco. They are smaller 

 than the pelicanswe used to see in Wombwell's Menagerie, and 

 grey instead of yellow or white. 



I think I have enumerated all the live stock we saw on the 

 island, with the exception of the common domestic cat, of which 

 there were dozens existing in a wild state, their ancestors having 

 no doubt been left by some whaling vessel. 



A fortnight after our first arrival our captains returned with 

 another small vessel, in which we quickly stowed what cargo we 

 had collected, and immediately returned to San Francisco. We 

 counted out a little over 1000 dozen, and sold them all to one 

 man at a dollar a dozen. 



W. Murray. 



