the Birds of Grand Cayman. 25 



doubtful, but this does not apply to Phaeton flavirostris, 

 which is a common enough siglit during most voyages over 

 the seas surrounding Grand Cayman and the Lesser Caymans, 

 60 miles to the north-east, so that it might fairly be included 

 among the birds of the Cayman Islands. It does not, how- 

 ever, seem to show itself very near the land. 



Mr. Lowe is quite correct in his conjecture that Hirundo 

 erythrogaster is only a spring and autumn bird-of-passage 

 in the Caymans. Particularly in autumn it is sometimes 

 present in hundreds, but seems to take only a few days' rest 

 before going on. One of these Swallows roosted over the 

 door of the writer's house on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of 

 October, 1912, and these three nights may perhaps have 

 been the time of its stay in the island. 



Swallows were present, in 1911, between the 19th of 

 April and the 20th of May, and between the 17th of August 

 and the 19th of October ; in 1912, between the 11th of 

 April and the 11th of May, and between the 25th of August 

 and the 20th of October; in 1913, between the 11th of 

 April and the 13th of May, and between the 6th of September 

 and the 11th of October. At times, stray individuals appear 

 during both the summer and winter months, but no attempt 

 at nesting ever seems to be made. 



Among the birds peculiar to the island whose nests are 

 unknown to the writer, are Mimocichla ravida and Holoqui- 

 scalus caymanensis. 



Mimocichla ravida is one of the rarest, or at all events 

 most elusive, of the birds of Grand Cayman, and escaped 

 the writer's notice during more than two years spent among 

 its supposed haunts. More than this, it seems to be unkuown 

 to the islanders. 



In this connection a word of warning to any ornithologist, 

 who may think of going out to these or to similar islands, 

 may not be out of place. The Cayman islanders, those of 

 them, that is to say, who have escaped the worst effects of a 

 school education according to Government pattern, have a 

 very thorough knowledge of the living things of the " bush " 

 and, with reason, pride themselves on this knowledge; also 



