Birds of St. Thomas^ Island. 91 



Boyd Alexander's collection is a very representative one, 

 includino^ most of the more interesting forms to be found 

 on the island. No new species, however, were discovered, 

 St. Thomas having been visited in 1900 by Signor yea, who 

 appears to have made a very complete survey of the island. 



Special mention must be made of the rare Owl Flammea 

 flammea thomensis, of which the Alexander collection 

 possesses four fine examples obtained by Jose Lopez — • 

 iVlexander's Portuguese collector — at Zalma. This Owl 

 has not hitherto been represented in the British Museum 

 collection. 



Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, to whom I tender my sincere thanks, 

 has been good enough to look through the proof-sheets of 

 this paper. I am also deeply indebted to Mr. G. C. Robson, 

 of the British Museum, for his aid in translating the Italian 

 papers which it has been necessary to consult throughout 

 this work. 



The following account of St. Thomas has been pieced 

 together from Alexander's last diary, to which allusion has 

 already been made. It gives a very good idea of the con- 

 ditions under which the collections were formed, and adds 

 not a little to our knowledge of this small island, which has 

 recently been so much in the public eye. 



Boyd Alexander's Description of St. Thomas^ Island. 



About 11.30 on January the 18th, the Ilha das Cabras came 

 into sight. The Peak of Sao Thome was not visible, but 

 the whole island has a mountainous appearance and is well 

 wooded. We stayed at the port [Sao Thome village] on the 

 19th to get things ready for a journey to the Peak, and the 

 following day left for Monte Cafe, a large ro9a about 1900 feet 

 up, on the road to Sao Thome Peak. A little more than half 

 way is the village of Trinidade; another two hours from here 

 brought us to Monte Cafe. Above Monte Caf^ the ground 

 still rises to some 5000 feet, forming the crest-line which is 

 seen from the port, and only at times is the top of the Peak 

 of Sao Thome just visible. Our first day's collecting did not 



