Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 145 



for me." Que instant there would be a duck swimming, or 

 rather floating, within easy range, the next a flash and 

 report, and the Duck would calmly reappear some 50 or 60 

 yards further off", apparently uninjured, quietly floating as 

 before, and with his tail cocked straight up as if in de- 

 rision. This was the case in every instance, and I at last 

 gave up the attempt to obtain an example in disgust ; and 

 had I been in any way superstitious, I should certainly have 

 regarded the creature as something uncanny and bearing 

 a charmed life ; for I may mention that on the same occa- 

 sions, and at longer ranges, I had no difficulty in killing 

 the Large Grebe {Podiceps australis) and the Musk Duck 

 [Biziura lobatus), both of which are expert divers. 



I am, yours &c., 

 Yandembah Station, K. H. Bennett. 



Booligal, N. S. Wales, 

 Sept. 18, 1890. 



Sir, — I am given to understand that there is still some 

 doubt as to the number of eggs laid at a sitting by the Sooty 

 and Noddy Terns. Having been to Ascension and also to 

 one of their great breeding-places in the West Indies, per- 

 haps I may be able to throw some light on the question. 

 First, as to Ascension. Nobody there has ever heard of 

 more than one egg being laid by the Sooty Tern [Sterna fuli- 

 ginosa) ; and as the birds breed in hundreds of thousands, it 

 is hardly likely that they would all change their nature and 

 cease to lay more than one, when in other parts of the world 

 they are reputed to lay three, simply because some of their 

 nests or, rather, eggs are taken, for food principally, by the 

 small number of people in the island, and the island has 

 only been occupied for about 50 or 60 years. I was there 

 18 years ago, and they only laid one egg then. 



On 13th June last, when cruising off the south coast of 

 Jamaica in H.M.S. ' Pylades,^ I anchored off" Morant Cays, 

 which consists of a round coral-patch, with four or five 

 fathoms of water and four small sand islands on it. The 

 islands lie about 60 miles S.E. of Jamaica, and are occa- 



SEK. VI. VOL. HI. L 



