38 Natural History Bulletin. 



maladv is the ease and completeness with which its terrors 

 are lost sight of as soon as relief comes. 



That night there was a general overhauling of fire-arms 

 and other equipment for land work. Guns which had been 

 put awav dry and new, covered thickly with oil, were found 

 to be rusted a bright red all over the metal work. Our 

 experience proved that eternal vigilance is the price of even 

 a measurabh- clean gun. and that in spite of the most scru- 

 pulous attention thev are bound to rust more or less in the 

 sea air. When a weapon is laid awa}- for several days, it is 

 advisable to plug up both ends of the barrels with a wad of 

 cotton oiled with porpoise or some equally good animal oil. 



The ornithologists overhauled their kits of tools, the bota- 

 nists got out their collecting cans, note books and presses, 

 and the entomologists unpacked their nets and collecting 

 bottles, in eager anticipation of their first field day in the 

 Bahamas. 



The morning of ^lay 13th dawned clear and beautiful. 

 The scene from the anchorage was gratefully quiet and rest- 

 ful after the continuous tossing of the past eight days. The 

 rising sun was flecking the ripples with fire, while the 

 delicious morning breeze gentl}' waved the fronds of the 

 cocoanut palms which lined the adjacent beach. The water 

 around the vessel was clear as onh' Bahama waters can be, 

 and the crabs could be distinctly seen crawling among the 

 alga; at the bottom, eighteen feet below the surface. 



After an early breakfast, the members of the part}' were 

 assigned work for the day. One boat-load was dispatched 

 to Little ^gg Island, a rocky reef near the entrance to the 

 harbor, where the numerous sea birds were seen circling 

 around, indicating a promising rookery. x\nother party was 

 detailed to work up the larger Egg Island, where they 

 beached the boat in the little cove right under the cocoanut 

 palms. 



A path led to an emptv sugar house, in which was a tank 

 of fresh water, rather better than is usually found in the 

 Bahamas. There being no streams in these islands, the in- 



