60 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE OENITHOLOGT OF INDIA. 



by the cool breeze and the salt douche, we scuttled and 

 splashed landward with a truly sauve qui peut agility and 

 distanced the sea, which, a quarter of an hour later, was rolling 

 unbroken over the whole reef. 



On the island I noticed two pairs of the Bow-billed Corby (C. 

 Levaillantii), several Burmese Stork-billed Kingfishers, and others 

 of the birds observed elsewhere, and we shot for the first time 

 the Andaman Goat-sucker (C. andamanicus, Stray Feathers, 

 1873, p. 470) ; Honey-sucker (A. andamanica, Stray Feathers, 

 1873, p. 404) ; and Coucal and the Large Grey Cuckoo-shrike 

 (6r. Macei). Several of the party also saw another large Coucal, 

 of the rnfipennis type probably ewycercus, Hay, and an 

 unmistakable Lyncornis. 



We were anchored close to the shore, and just as we 

 were going on board somebody told us that the Crab-plovers 

 driven from their feeding grounds, by the rise of the tide, had all 

 congregated on a couple of small isolated rocks lying about a mile 

 due north of us, midway in the broad channel between us and 

 Pluto Island. So the Philosopher and the Geologist and 

 myself started in the gig to look them up ; the sun was just 

 setting and perfect stillness reigned everywhere, but we made 

 the men row carefully and slowly, and we soon sighted a 

 large white patch, in the middle of the water, towards which 

 we steered our course. In order not to hamper each other 

 in firing I got into the bows, while the other two remained 

 astern ; as we neared the patch, we made out that about 200 

 of the Crab-plovers were gathered as closely as they could 

 pack, on the smaller of the two rocks, a flat table about 20 

 feet square, and, now that the tide was high, about a foot above 

 the water level. When about an hundred yards distant they 

 took the alarm, rose, and flew away; the great majority went 

 off towards Rutland Island, but some 30 or 40, after wheeling 

 round and round, commenced settling on the second and larger 

 rock. Perfectly silently we began to creep towards this, 

 not steering straight for, but as though we would pass, the rock 

 at a distance of 50 or 60 yards; as we drew near, I did not 

 like to fire before my learned friends, I dared not speak or 

 make the least sign, but I kept turning my head in their 

 direction, making the most horrible faces, which I intended 

 to signify " why on earth don't you fire," but which 

 in the dim twilight appear to have been scarcely appreciated. 

 As, for the last time, 1 turned towards my august companions 

 determined that if they would not, I would fire, I saw both 

 suddenly raise their guns ; I looked round but the birds had 



