during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. 313 



West-Indian ''Birch/' Guiaicura, Acacia, Tamarind, and 

 Manchineel. Various kinds of Cactus grow on the lower 

 slopes and on the smaller islets, and there is a great pro- 

 fusion of flowering bushes and even flowering plants. Wikl 

 cotton grows in abundance. Except for the few miserable 

 huts erected by the fishermen, and a modest plot or so of 

 cultivated ground in their immediate vicinity, these islands 

 remain as they have existed through the ages. Geologically 

 they consist of masses of a coarse-grained granite (horn- 

 blende), enormous fragments of which, much weathered, may 

 be seen here and there amid the surrounding vegetation. 

 On the weather side of one of the smaller islets this granite 

 is overlaid by a layer of shaly rock. The general colour 

 of the soil and exposed rocks in the lower parts of the island 

 is deep ferruginous. I was much struck by the number of 

 butterflies that we saw. Progress anywhere on the large 

 island is laborious, owing to the thick bush and the ex- 

 cessive heat. I have no doubt that other land-birds besides 

 those observed would be met with if a more extended search 

 was made for them ; and sea-birds probably nest here also, 

 especially on the north side of the large island, where the 

 shore is sandy. I have met with the Sooty Tern in great 

 numbers in the near neighbourhood of these islands, but 

 saw nothing of it on any of the fallarones. 



Besides the few birds mentioned below as having been 

 seen or shot, one or two unidentified Owls were seen, as well 

 as a Buzzard {Buteo latissimus ?) and a few Pelicans {Pele- 

 canus fuscus). I have no doubt that Margarops fuscatus 

 or some other Thrush would be found towards the higher 

 levels of the largest of the islands, as it exists on the Los 

 Hermanos group; but we had no time in the two days 

 at our disposal to cover all the ground, having unfortunately 

 lost much valuable time in visiting some of the smaller 

 outlying islands. 



CoLUMBA CORENSIS Gmcl. 



We saw several Pigeons on Goat Island which were no 

 doubt examples either of this species or of C. Icucocephala^ 

 but we were unable to get near enough to shoot any. 



