1875. ] MR. E. L. LAYARD ON ‘FIJIAN BIRDS. 429 
island is an enormous mass of crystallized limestone, and has also a 
cave in which the Swifts breed. Like Cicia, this cave is in the lime- 
stone cliffs running parallel to the sea. In the face of these cliffs is a 
small ravine, just a series of sharp-pointed blocks of stone, and a 
tangled mass of immense ‘ lianes’ and monkey-ropes. Up this place, 
in company with Mr. T. Ryder, I had to make my way, and almost 
cut a new pair of shoes to pieces doing so. The mouth of the cave is 
about 100 yards up this ravine. It is small, not more than 10 yards 
in diameter, but opens at once into an immense hall, exactly like a 
theatre. On either side are the galleries, with pillars, composed of 
stalactites extending from roof to floor. Below is the pit, and opposite 
the entrance a level-platform for the stage. The setting sun shone 
in at the entrance, and filled the whole place with a beautiful bright 
green light reflected from the limestone walls around. This place had 
evidently been used as a fortification during the troublous times of 
ancient Fijian history, as the mouth of the cave had been consider- 
ably lessened in width by carefully piled up walls of stones. Indeed 
ten years ago, a little after Mr. Ryder took possession of the island, 
and before he was aware of this cavern, a band of predatory Fijians 
from another island, whom he was pursuing, escaped him by taking 
refuge in it. One of them afterwards told him that as he and his 
men passed down the ravine, they lay behind the stone wall, with 
their muskets cocked and pointed. But to return to my subject. 
Descending from the galleries, we crossed the pit, ascended the 
stage, and passed into a low and narrow passage, along which it was 
frequently necessary to go on all fours. The twittering of the 
Swifts, roused by our torches, now became audible, as they dashed 
past us; and the ground was covered deep with guano. Occasion- 
ally, too, a gaping black cleft would appear across our road, com- 
pelling us to travel very circumspectly. After about 40 yards of 
this work, the passage suddenly opened into a second immense 
circular hall, with stalactites hanging in every direction. This was 
evidently the main home of the Swifts; and I could see their nests 
all about, with the birds sitting on them apparently dazzled by the 
light. It was the height of the breeding-season, and from most of 
the nests two little bare heads and necks were hanging out, com- 
pletely bewildered by their first sight of light. Balancing myself on 
one foot on the sharp point of a stalagmite, and supporting myself 
with one hand against the cavern-side, I managed to secure my first 
nest. Below me, over which I reached, was a black chasm, very 
narrow but very deep, and which I did not care to look into too 
particularly. Taking the bird off, to my great delight I found two 
glistening snow-white eggs. The bird, a female, I then killed. By 
some alpine scrambling about damp and precipitous ledges, we got 
into several little chambers close by the roof of the big hall, 
which contained numbers of nests. In only one more nest, how- 
ever, did I find any eggs; every one contained two callow young. 
If I had arrived a fortnight before, [ should have made a great haul. 
The nests were composed of the long stringy leaves of the iron-wood 
tree (Casuarina) gummed together, and fastened to any slight pro- 
