184 GANJAM. 



the security and solitude of the lonely 

 island. 



There is an osprey's nest on the 

 stunted tree which has rooted itself 

 among the boulders on the top of the 

 pile, and among the multitude of birds 

 of all sorts which rise from the rocks 

 and darken the air when a gun is fired, 

 the intrusive blue pigeon is conspicuous. 



If a boat approaches Bird Island 

 quietly, the representatives of many 

 families may be seen on their nests 

 between or under the rocks : the heron 

 and the crested heron, the white egret 

 and the black water-crow or cormorant, 

 and the snake bird, a larger kind of 

 cormorant, so called because only the 

 snake-like neck and head are visible 

 above water as the bird swims. The 



