Letters from the Pacific. 103 



for months on uninteresting low coral islands. The mountains, 

 although not exceeding 2000 feet in altitude, appear to be far 

 higher, especially the steep peak of Mount Crozer, which forms 

 an important landmark. The nearer we came the more de- 

 lighted we were by the wonderful landscape ; and when we 

 anchored about noon in Chabrol Harbour, on the N.E. side, 

 closed in by the small lovely hilly island of Lalla, with its 

 nice-looking houses, we fancied ourselves in a Garden of 

 Eden. The people (only about three hundred souls all to- 

 gether), who came to pay us their welcome in their singular 

 canoes, were exceedingly polite and amiable ; all were clothed, 

 and spoke more or less good English. But what sounded 

 more agreeable to my ears than even the English language, 

 were the voices of different kinds of birds, which formed such 

 a concert as I had not heard since leaving Europe. In Hawaii 

 you scarcely hear any thing but the harsh, unmelodious voices 

 of the Mainas ; and on the low coral islands there are only 

 the cries of Terns and Waders to listen to. As soon as we 

 had paid our visit to the "Takuscha" (the first chief, or so- 

 called " king '' of the island) we went out to shoot. The first 

 bird I got was Drepanis cinereus of Kittlitz, not obtained 

 since the time of its discoverer, which I at the first glance 

 found to be a true Zosterops, as I had long ago suggested. 

 This modest-looking little bird is by no means rare; and 

 although not shy, it is not easy to obtain good specimens. 

 It keeps in small companies of from three to five, flying from 

 tree to tree in search of insects, and resembles in its habits 

 some of our Titmice, especially Parus paluspns. I did not 

 hear it utter any song ; but it has various whistling notes, of 

 which the most peculiar resemble those of our Passer domes- 

 ticus when alarmed, but are not so harsh. 



Zosterops, by reason of its dull plumage and quickness 

 among the thick foliage of the trees, easily escapes notice ; but 

 the gay-coloured little Myzomela rubratra and the Starling- 

 like Calornis pacificus cannot be overlooked. The former, 

 so remarkable with its bright scarlet garb, is to be seen 

 everywhere, on the flowers in the gardens, on the tops of the 

 cocoanut-trees, and in the thickets of mangroves, and is not 



