90 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [88J 



{Steatornis caripensift). This bird is commonly knowu as "fruit tinting 

 hawk," "fat-bird," ''oil bird," "cave-bird," and iu Spanish, gaacharo 

 bird. 



At half past 7 on the morning of February 1, Captain Tanner and four 

 members of the scientific staff left the ship, in the steam-launch for 

 Mono Island, 10 miles distant, and near where the birds we were in 

 search of live iu caves. When nearly there, Mr. Garrett and Mr. Acker- 

 man were left on a small island to collect until the return of the launch. 

 The others kept on to Mono Island, where the captain found Mr. Morri- 

 son, to whom he had been directed as the best guide to the caves. Mr. 

 Morrison consented to go with us in search of the birds, and also offered 

 to show us where we could shoot a peculiar bat, known as the "fishing- 

 bat." Under his guidance we steamed around to the western side of 

 the island, where the shore is formed by a huge and nearly perpendic- 

 ular wall of rock many feet high. Several of us went in a small boat to 

 as near the cliff as was safe, when Mr. Morrison pointed out a fissure in 

 which the bats lived. According to his direction, several charges of 

 shot were fired into the fissure, w^hen the bats literally swarmed out. 

 Mr. Nye was in readiness, and killed a number, only six of which were 

 picked up, the others falling nearer the cliff than it was safe to go, as the 

 waves were dashing up against it with considerable force. Those we 

 • did get were ])ut into alcohol, a supply of which was brought with us 

 in the launch. These bats are large, having an expanse of from 22 

 to 24 inches from tip to tip. We saw them afterward in the even- 

 ing tiying slowly along close to the water. They are said to catch 

 fish with the sharp claws of the hind limbs, aided by the membrane 

 between them, which is very full. I examined the contents of the 

 stomach of one of these animals and found, by the aid of a microscope, 

 the scales of fish and also the scales from the wings of lepidopterus 

 insects. The stomach contained but little, as they were killed some 

 hours after their feeding time. From this place we steamed around the 

 island to Trinidad, and tried to enter a cave there, inhabited by the 

 guacharo birds. The larger caves on Huevos Island were then too 

 much exposed to the ocean to be accessible, and at any season can be 

 approached only on occasional days, when the water is very smooth. 



We found the cave on the western side of Trinidad too much exposed 

 to enter with anything like safety, though several attempts were made. 

 We were finally obliged to give it uj), to our great disappointment. 

 The entire floor of the cave is water. As a swell advances inward, in- 

 nocent at first, it becomes angry and dangerous long before it reaches 

 the fariher end, where it biings up with a heavy booming sound, leav- 

 ing jagged rocks briefly exposed in. its wake. The entrance to the 

 chamber where the birds live is about 10 feet high, 12 feet wide at the 

 bottom, and 50 feet long. The chamber is about 40 feet in diameter 

 at its base and 35 feet high. A colored man was employed to take us in 

 in his canoe. Mr. Morrison assisted in the management of it, while Mr. 



