WORTHINGTON : (JkNITHOI.OGY OK BaHA.MA Isi.ANDS. 403 



We remained at Alfred Sound until February 17, when, our supplies 

 getting low, we decided to return to Mathewtown, and getting our 

 outfit on board an 18-foot open boat, started out at eight in the 

 morning, reaching our destination safely shortly after three that after- 

 noon. We made Mathewtown our headquarters until March 2, 

 collecting in the vicinity, and making several excursions to the " Horse 

 Pond," a large wooded fresh water swamp about a mile back of the 

 town, containing the largest growth of trees In the neighborhood, 

 growing in water from one to three feet deep. This was a fa\-orite 

 haunt of the Antillean Tree Duck, Pied-billed and West Indian 

 Grebes, Florida Gallinulc, Sora Rail, and some other water-birds, 

 while se\eral species of warblers held forth in the trees. We visited 

 also the salt ponds still farther back of the town, and explored the 

 adjoining country in various directions. The whole southwest corner 

 of the island is a level plain, covered everywhere with a dense coppet 

 or thicket of shrubbery from ten to twenty feet high, except on the 

 "roads" and a few small clearings, the coral rock formation protruding 

 more or less everywhere, and in the bright sunshine producing in 

 the fields, and especially on the roads, an almost intolerable white 

 glare. This coppet was the home of such birds as the Bahama Banan- 

 aquit. Blue-gray^ Gnatcatcher, Thick-billed Vireo, and Maynard 

 Cuckoo, while along the paths and roadsides, and about the clearings, 

 were found the Bahama Grassquit, Antillean and Gundlach Mocking- 

 birds, Mona Ground Dove, and Inagua Wood-star. 



Fortunately we were able to secure passage directly to Acklin 

 Island, and thence to Watlings Island, by special arrangement with 

 Captain Heastie, of the schooner "Whisper," of only nine tons, but 

 a very seaworthy little craft. We were under way at eleven A.M., 

 March 2, with our course laid for Hogsty Reef, but as it was not in 

 sight at sunset, although we knew by the smoother water that we 

 were under its lee, we bore away in the direction of Castle Island Light, 

 which was sighted about midnight, and we ran in under the south end 

 of Acklin Island some four hours later and hove to until daylight. 

 The next morning (March 3) we worked up the west side of Acklin 

 Island, making numerous stops for passengers and freight, and 

 reachingour destination at Gold Rock anchorage late in the afternoon. 

 All our time and efforts during our brief stay on this island were 

 devoted to a strenuous quest for Bahama Parrots, of which an account 

 is given in the notes under that species. The topography is very 



