THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 83 



the mattrass down on the top of the Captain, and the next 

 instant disappeared off the poop, impelled (like a foot ball) by 

 his master's wrathful foot. For the Crustacean, with the eye 

 of genius, caught at a glance the whole situation ; there was 

 only a mattrass between him and — destruction ! His right leg 

 disposed of the offender, his right arm jerked the mattrass 

 (though not without some abrasion of the offending organs inte- 

 gument) into its wonted corner, and before the illtreated naval 

 commander could recover his breath or properly open his 

 eyes, our Invertebrate was calmly slumbering. Every one 

 was asleep ! " I say ! what the devil, &c, we heard murmured 

 from the chair in a hoarse voice. Then the Captain got up 

 and walked, tenderly rubbing his uose, round his late couch, then 

 he looked under it, he could'nt make it out. " Mr. P." said he 

 to the second officer who was now on watch " What was that?" 

 " What was what Sir ?" was the reply in a perfectly unmoved 

 tone of voice. " What was what ? something yery queer !" 

 " Nothing queer here Sir V said P. in an aggrieved tone, as if 

 he considered the suggestion of anything queer, during Ms 

 watch a personal insult. 



So the Captain went down to finish his night watch, as was his 

 custom when we Avere anchored, in his berth, and to this day 

 I believe he fancies that he had that night the most remark- 

 able nightmare with which any poor mortal was ever yet 

 afflicted. 



At daylight next morning we were all again on Kondnl. 

 We met with all the same birds as on the previous day, and 

 devoted a good deal of time to watching, so far as this was 

 possible, those that were new to us. We also obtained two 

 Cuckoos C. striatus, Drapiez, as I identify that bird, the 

 .Black-naped Azure Flycatcher, Blyth's Hurrial (0. clilo- 

 roptera) and several of Horsfi elds' Swiftlet (C. UncM) which 

 latter were very abundant. We saw, but failed to secure, a 

 single specimen, the first that any of us, or even Davison has 

 seen, of th'e lovely Black-capped Purple Kingfisher (H. atri- 

 capillus). At noon we weighed anchor and ran through the 

 Straits to Cabra, a steep, very picturesque and partially wooded 

 rock, and thence on to Montschall where we all landed and 

 spent the rest of the day. 



Here too the Hoary -headed Paroquet seemed very common, 

 and although shy we succeeded amongst us in getting several. 

 We did not see a single Fruit or Imperial Pigeon, while per con- 

 tra Blyth's Hurrial, comparatively rare on Kondul, swarmed, so 

 that between 30 and 40 were brought on board. On the beach I 



