[57] WORK OF STEAMER ALBATROSS. 661 



which the earth from without has washed into the cave, and down across 

 the floor. Whether this wall is artificial or natural would be an exceed- 

 ingly difficult task to determine. 



From among the loose stones and earth, near this outer wall, we 

 picked out several pieces of coarse pottery, and several pieces of bone 

 belonging to the human skull, among them two jaw-bones with teeth 

 intact. About half way across the floor we found a number of human 

 long bones strewn about with no apparent arrangement. 



Miss Nairn, who was one of the first to visit this cave, told us that 

 she saw five or six skulls lying upon the floor when she was there, and 

 that one of them had been taken to the library at Nassau. 



Both going and coming through the lakes we saw great numbers of 

 cormorants floating lazily about on the water or sitting on the mangrove 

 bushes along the shore. They remain throughout the year aud breed 

 on these lakes. We saw, too, a number of herons, of which we shot 

 several, and flocks of Bahama ducks and blue-bills, but could not get 

 near these latter. 



Coming home, we lauded on Iguana Key and captured six iguanas of 

 the genus Cyclura. We saw there a large brown rat, but did not succeed 

 in capturing it. 



During our stay on Watling's Island we visited several other caves, 

 but found no human remains. In all the caves visited we found but 

 one bat, though there was every indication that they had been there in 

 great numbers quite recently. The negroes say that they always dis- 

 appear during the winter months. 



We procured a number of stone implements during our stay. These 

 the negroes call thunderbolts, believing that they fall with the light- 

 ning. They preserve them very carefully, as a charm to ward off the 

 lightning, and are very loth to part with them. 



We made collections of the shore fauna as well as of lizards, crabs, 

 insects, and mollusks from all parts of the island, and of birds we took 

 a number of species as well as several nests with eggs. 



Miss Nairn, who seemed quite conversant with the habits of most of 

 the birds, told us that in December, during high winds, swallows some- 

 times made their appearance, very tired. They stay but a few days, and 

 then disappear. The " gale bird," undoubtedly our bobolink, comes too, 

 during the high autumn winds, in large llocks, but stays only a few 

 days. 



On March 8 the Albatross left Rum Cay, and on the same day touched 

 at Conception Island and gave the naturalists a chance to make shore 

 collections. One haul with the beam trawl, near Conception Island, at 

 station 2629 (1,169 fathoms), brought up only a few crustaceans, one glass 

 sponge, one piece of coral, and one fish. The mud-bag was filled with 

 coral sand, with pteropod shells and foraminifera in it. 



March 9 the Albatross picked up Mr. Nye and myself and then ran 

 back to Bum Cay, to give us a chance to take some photographs at 

 Port Nelson. 



