Vast quantities of Pigeons on Treis. — Yisit Pulo 3Iilu. 63 



of five miles an hour, which ran rushing and seething like a 

 mill-race througli the calm sea, so completely checked our 

 progress that the anchor had to be let go. This procured us 

 the very unexpected pleasure of visiting these two small 

 wooded islands. Owing to the heavy surf, we only suc- 

 ceeded in effecting a landing by the assistance of some 

 natives, whom we happened to fall in with in their canoes 

 off these all but uninhabited islets. Treis is a veritable 

 pigeon island, full of the most various and beautiful species of 

 that bird ; nevertheless we could only procure a single speci- 

 men of the exceedingly elegant Nicobar dove. Here too 

 it was that the geologist found the first traces of brown coal, 

 which however did not present itself in layers suitable for 

 domestic use. 



The same afternoon, with the turn of the tide the current 

 set in our favour, and towards 10 P. m. we reached the road- 

 stead protected to the eastward by the northernmost point of 

 Little Nicobar, to the westward by the island of Pulo Milu, 

 and southward by the main-land of Little Nicobar itself. It 

 is not very large, but it has excellent holding ground, and 

 would be available at all seasons as a harbour of refuge for 

 vessels. As most of the villages of Little Nicobar lie on the 

 N.W. and S. sides of the island, and were with difiiculty 

 accessible from our anchorage, it was thought preferable to 

 select the small but beautiful island of Pulo Milii for our 

 visit. Already, while we were lying at anchor in front of 

 the island of Treis, a few natives had come on board the 



