•200 THE CRUISE OF TEE ^CUBAQOA.' 



in it. I remarked tliat tliese pigeons fed on a three- 

 cornered nut with a dark purple flesh over it, a thick hard 

 shell, and a kernel sweet and agreeable to the taste. These 

 birds must have a large swallow and a good digestion to eat 

 these hard nuts. All those I have seen had one or more of 

 them in the stomach. I did not gather any new ferns, 

 owing perhaps to my attention being fixed on the birds. I 

 found some fine land shells, looking beautifully green, but 

 when the animal was taken from them it was evident that it 

 was this which imparted its colour to the shell. One other 

 small shell I foiuid had a curious animal in it ; the shell 

 was covered with a fine membrane, except on the top ; the 

 animal was red, and when touched or pulled about on paper 

 deposited a red stain on it, throwing its tail about, which 

 was very long, and resembled an eel's. The shell did not go 

 near the groimd, and was very delicate. 



The most interesting object we met with in Uji, and 

 procured through the kindness of Bishop Patteson, was an 

 ornamental tie-beam from the roof of a public hall or 

 council house. On one side the ornaments are in relief, 

 consisting of seven birds supposed to represent frigate birds 

 [Tachypetes aquila), and eight fish, the two centre ones of 

 which are sharks and the six others bonitos. The birds are 

 placed with their heads downward, six of the fish horizon- 

 tally beneath them. On either side of the centre bird is a 

 bonito placed vertically, the head of each meeting a shark. 

 The birds are alternately liglit and dark, and the fish all of 

 the same brown colour; tlie ground exhibits a singularly 



