1G2 Mr. E. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and 



oceanic wanderers ; and there are three places especially where 

 they breed — namely, the Desertas, some rocky uninhabited 

 islands about thirty miles to the eastward of Funchal, the Sal- 

 vages, situated nearly midway between Madeira and Gran Ca- 

 nai-y, and the small island of Allegranza to the northward of Lau- 

 zarote. Being in Madeira in the breeding-season, I deter- 

 mined on making an expedition to the Desertas, and for this 

 purpose chartered a large half-decked fishing-boat with the 

 requisite crew, and laid in a supply of provisions sufficient to 

 have lasted for a week. It was a beautiful morning when I 

 started, and the weather appeared settled, and I had congra- 

 tulated myself on the prospect of making a good collection 

 of birds and eggs. In about five hours we reached Chao ; but 

 the breeze had freshened considerably, and the sailors intimated 

 that there would be some difficulty in landing, as there is no 

 beach on which to run the boat, and a heavy surf was beating 

 upon the rocks. They managed, however, to bring the boat 

 round into a small bay which was partly sheltered from the 

 wind ; and having let go an anchor from the stern to prevent 

 our drifting upon the rocks, two of the men jumped into the 

 water and swam ashore, each with the end of a rope in his 

 hand, which, as soon as they landed, they made fast to the 

 rocks, thus secui'ing the boat from three different points. 

 They then hauled the boat in close to the rocks, and we scrambled 

 ashore and set to work at once searching for birds and eggs. 

 There were only a few pairs of Gulls and Terns flying about, 

 and nothing like the number of sea-birds I had been led to 

 expect. We found plenty of Bulwer^s Petrels sitting on their 

 eggs, which were in holes or under rocks, and usually about 

 as far in as one could reach with one's arm. They build no 

 nest, but lay their eggs on the bare rock. I did not find more 

 than one egg in each nest. I secured several birds and eggs, and 

 kept some of the former alive. It is curious to watch them 

 crawling along the ground ; for they cannot fly unless they get 

 to the edge of a rock ; they waddle along on their feet, and, when 

 they come to a steep place, use the sharp-pointed hook of their 

 beaks to draw themselves up with. They seem to dislike the light, 

 and hide themselves under a rock or crawl into a hole as soon 



