HAWK-MOTHS AND TURTLES 103 



on this subject, but he assured us that there was 

 no bird of the kind there. 



Numbers of domestic fowls were running about 

 in a more or less wild state. They did not show 

 any signs of reversion to their ancestral form ; 

 on the contrary, those we met with were of all 

 kinds and colours, though very small ; many of 

 them took to flight on being alarmed. 



Butterflies and moths were numerous, and a 

 species of hawk-moth was hovering round the 

 flowers of a convolvulus in incredible numbers. 

 On several occasions we took three or more at 

 one sweep of the net. 



There seems to be little fresh water here ; as 

 far as we could see there was none at all on the 

 leeward side, and but a small pool near the 

 settlement, though I believe there is a well near 

 the house of the proprietor. This scarcity of 

 fresh water may account for the rareness of the 

 dove before mentioned, as pigeons and doves are 

 known to require plenty of water. I presume 

 that the fowls visit the settlement for water ; 

 at all events they were more numerous near the 

 houses than elsewhere. 



Both the green turtle* and the hawksbillf were 

 abundant in the neighbourhood of Glorioso, the 

 latter being the more valuable, as it is from the 

 shell of this turtle that tortoise-shell is made. The 

 green turtles frequent the sandy beach to deposit 



* Chelone mydaa (Linn.). t Chelone imbricata (Schweigg). 



i2 



