The Zoologist — November, 1873. 3761 



I saw on the coasts of Chili and Peru four kinds of terns, 

 possibly more. The most common occurred at Coquimbo, and 

 was a very long-winged species, with a black crown ; a large 

 species, too, was pretty numerous. 



Scissors-bills were abundant at Callao, and fly chiefly at dusk 

 and in flocks: I killed five at a shot one evening. 



I will keep a look out for the "deeply forked-tailed gull" at 

 Vancouver; if it is an arctic species it may turn up there. 

 I observed a very pretty gull at Payta, and only at that place : 

 it was of a beautiful pale blue on upper surface and pure white 

 beneath, with deep orange-red legs and beak : I should certainly 

 have obtained" one if I had not been so seedy, for it was a 

 peculiarly interesting and delicate species. 



I wish you could see this island ; it is a perfect paradise, it is 

 so beautiful. It is all alike, and almost impossible to describe ; 

 at least, with my poor powers of description, I could never do 

 justice to it. The island is split up, as it were, into a succession 

 of deep ravines, running east and west. The sides of these rise 

 to mountain peaks, clothed to their summits with the greenest 

 verdure of strange and unknown trees. Here and there, in the 

 valleys, the trees disappear, and are replaced by park-land of the 

 richest turf, with occasional clumps of flowering shrubs to add 

 beauty to the scenery. In some places cascades rush foaming 

 down the sides of these gorges, their track being marked by a 

 margin of lovely ferns. * * * It is a magnificent sight going 

 on shore watching the huge rollers galloping towards the reefs, 

 and breaking with a thundering noise as they tumble over into 

 the smooth water beyond. I took a walk one afternoon on the 

 beach, in hopes of getting some shells, but 1 saw nothing worth 

 picking up. The only interesting things were the crabs, which 

 were very long-legged and amusing, and ran at a tremendous 

 pace. 



Some of the little black-headed gulls on the coast of Peru have 

 the breast tinged with salmon-colour, like the roseate tern : these 

 are, I expect, the old birds, and this charming colour is probably 

 lost after death. 



Gervase F. Mathew. 



H.M.S. ' Eepulse,' Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, 

 June 25, 1873. 



