Birds of South Trinidad. 211 



very hard-set, one of them on the point of hatching. In no 

 case was there more than one egg, and in two instances it 

 was laid on a bare sun-bleached boulder j in the third 

 case on the equally bleached trunk of a dead tree. Three 

 old birds were obtained, two of which were unfor- 

 tunately stained from being buried. All the nestlings, 

 four in number, in various stages of down, were put into 

 formalin without being skinned. On the following morning 

 I made a colour-sketch of the fresh foot. The beak was jet- 

 black and the large and prominent eye also black. The 

 entire plumage was pure white. The legs and toes were 

 slaty blue with pale whitish webs. I take the bird to be 

 Gi/c/is Candida. 



The Gannet, which I suppose to be Sula piscator, was not 

 seen by those who remained on the shore, but was found in 

 considerable numbers higher up the hill-side breeding among 

 the whitened dead trees, on the stumps of which the nests 

 of sticks were placed from one to five feet off the ground. 

 The birds were not shy and in some cases remained to be 

 caught on the nest. Several nests were found to be empty : 

 only one contained a single egg, which was obtained by Lieut. 

 Royds, who brought it safely on board. It was perfectly 

 fresh-laid. Mr. Skelton shot several of these birds and four 

 skins were made. No young birds were seen by any one. 

 It was in one of these nests that Lieut Shackleton found 

 a leguminous plant. It was interlaced with the sticks. On 

 the following morning I made colour-sketches of the head 

 and feet. The skin round the eyes was vivid blue and the 

 beak also blue but paler, running into violet in places, and at 

 the base into red. The feet were bright salmon-pink, almost 

 vermilion. I believe the "Booby" killed on the 12th of 

 September to be a yearling specimen of this Gannet. In the 

 stomach of one bird and in the throat of another were dis- 

 covered parts of a flying-fish, which might have measured six 

 inches in length. In both cases it was only the hinder half. 



The Frigate-birds were not seen on shore at all, and we 

 had to rely on those who were left on board to procure speci- 

 mens. Onlv one was obtained, and it was made into a skin. 



