[61] WORK OF STEAMER ALBATROSS. 665 



March 24 we started for Key West, stopping' on our way to land 

 Messrs. Nye and Townsend on Abaco Island. At Key West we col- 

 lected several species of birds, among them several specimens of the 

 vireo, Vireo noveboracemis maynardi, recently described by Maynard. 



This bird seems to be very abundant here, but extremely shy and 

 hard to see among the dense foliage. 



On March 30 the greater part of Key West's business section burned 

 down, creating quite an excitement. The next day Mr. Washburn left 

 us to return North. April 3 we sailed for Havana, and on the 7th, on 

 our way back to Key West, five hauls with the tangle at Stations 2633 

 to 2637, in 100 to 200 fathoms, brought up about one hundred and 

 twenty-five specimens of the sea-lily, Pentacrinus decorus and Penta- 

 crinus miilleri, with a few sea-urchins and brittle-stars. 



We left Key West on April 4, and on the 5th began a line of dredg- 

 ings, off Carysfort light, at Station 2639 (56 fathoms). We took six 

 hauls with a ship's dredge and four with the beam-trawl, the depth 

 ranging from 56 to 217 fathoms. The bottom proved barren, and we 

 took only a few small crustaceans, fish, and hydroids, the latter at- 

 tached to the dead scallop shells, which were abundant. 



April 11 we picked up Messrs. Nye and Towusend, with their exten- 

 sive collections. 



We had hoped that they would get a few flamingoes on Abaco, but, 

 though they saw about sixty birds, they were too shy to approach, and 

 a fire, which broke out in the woods, soon drove them all from their 

 feeding-grounds. 



The flamingoes live on a large tract of land, about 6,000 acres in ex- 

 tent, on the west side of the island. The surface is little above tide- 

 level, and is composed of soft ooze, washed in from the coral reefs. 

 Scattered through this tract are lakes, of all sizes, from 6 inches to 3 

 feet deep, and islands, of higher ground, covered with trees. The fla- 

 mingoes keep to the larger lakes, or " swashes," as the inhabitants call 

 them, and are very shy. In the breeding-season they are much less 

 shy, and are frequently killed while feeding in the smaller swashes by 

 negroes, who consider them excellent eating. Parrots are said to have 

 been common on the island, but of late years few are seen on the south- 

 ern end of the island. One flock was reported as coming daily to feed 

 on an old field, near the light-house at Hole-in-the-Wall, but no speci- 

 mens were procured. 



From Abaco we ran past New Providence into the Tongue of Ocean, 

 and on the morning of April 12 landed on Green Cay. The island is 

 small and heavily wooded, rising to high ground near the center. Near 

 our landing-place was a pond with the remains of old salt-works. In 

 spite of a steady rain we got a number of birds, among them two speci- 

 mens of Kirtland's warbler. 



In the afternoon a haul with tangle at station 2640 (36 fathoms) 

 brought up a few small corals, sponges, mollusks, and crustaceans. A 

 haul at station 2650 (369 fathoms) brought up nothing. 



