Chap, ii.] KITES SEIZING PREY. 49 



often remarkably flat at the tops, and formed by successive 

 flows of lava. The flat table-land nearest the sea was parched 

 and had very little green upon it. Behind rises a succession 

 of small conical hills and higher table-lands, which were 

 brilliantly green. 



As the ship came to anchor, a flock of kites {Milviis korschuni) 

 came wheeling round the stern, just as do gulls ordinarily, and 

 kept swooping down after garbage from the ship. Instead of 

 seizing the morsels with their beaks, like gulls, they did so 

 with their claws, putting out one foot for the purpose as they 

 swooped down, and seizing the food with it with wonderful 

 precision. As they rose they bent down their heads and ate 

 the food at once on the wing from their claws. Some large 

 fish came round the ship, and amongst them some sharks, one 

 of which was seen to seize one of the kites as it put its foot down 

 to the water and carry it down after a short struggle. 



I landed with a party in search of quail shooting. We landed 

 at a small stone jetty under the cliff beneath the town, and 

 mounted by a zigzag path and steps to the top ; here just above 

 the landing-place are the barracks, one-storied, with iron-grated 

 unglazed windows, a conspicuous feature in the view of the 

 town from the anchorage. The town consists of about two 

 dozen two-storied houses, mostly surrounding a public square, 

 and a number of one-storied hovels and low wooden houses, 

 disposed in three or four parallel streets, along the ridge on 

 which the town stands. The inhabitants are nearly all negroes, 

 the remainder being Portuguese and half-castes. Attempts 

 were being made to improve the place, and there was a foun- 

 tain in the middle of the square with young trees planted round 

 it, and good water is laid on to the town from a distance of 

 several miles. 



As soon as we landed we were beset by a crowd of negro 

 boys, wanting to carry our cartridge bags and show us where 

 plenty of quails and gallinis were to be found. We each 

 selected our boy and made for the high flat plain across the 

 valley to the west. The plain was covered with tufts of short 

 dry grass, and scanty patches of young seedling grasses just 

 coming up. Scattered about were patches of the darker green 

 of the abundant trailing Convolvulus {Ipomo^a pes caprce). 

 The elevated plains are intersected in all directions by deep 

 gorges cut out by water-courses w^hich were now quite dry ; the 

 gorges have usually steeply sloping sides which terminate 

 above in a range of cliffs. 



Quails were not at all plentiful, being only migratory visitors 

 to the island, and not having as yet arrived. The entire party 

 shot only about twenty. The Kingfisher mentioned by Darwin 



