THE ISLANDS OP THE BAY OF BENGAL. 101 



eyed Tit, Tytler's Tree-stare, the Pectoral Sun-bird, the Black- 

 naped Azure Flycatcher, the Bronze-winged Dove, Turnstones, 

 Whimbrels, the Striated Munia, and other common birds were all 

 procured. We also saw a Purple Heron, a White Egret, a 

 Green Bittern, and a Bush-thrush (G. albogularis), and two of 

 the party said they saw our new Honey-sucker (JIL. nicobaricaj . 



During the night as we were steaming due north for Port 

 Blair, and when about opposite the Little Andaman, we were 

 overtaken by a sudden squall with heavy rain, in the midst of 

 which, a small mynah came on board. This is exactly similar 

 to two that Davison shot on Camorta, and is, I believe, the young 

 of T. dauricus, the occurrence of which here is new and 

 unexpected. 



By 11 a.m. (20th) we anchored again in Port Blair. Gene- 

 ral Stewart kindly took me about the harbour, and I visited 

 Chatham and Viper, and the upper end of the harbour, but 

 Port Blair is now almost as well known as Southampton Water, 

 and it is needless to say anything more about it, except that as 

 on the occasion of our first visit, so also now, not one single 

 Gull or Tern was to be seen about the place. 



21st. — We came on slowly during the day in and out through 

 the Archipelago, a pretty trip, but not to be mentioned in the 

 same breath with that through the Labyrinth Islands. The 

 main feature was the entire absence of all sea fowl. It would 

 be difficult to conceive places apparently more suitable for 

 these birds ; innumerable small islands and detached stacks of 

 rocks ; uninhabited, never visited, and planted in a sea teeming 

 with fish and zoophytes; yet not one single stray Gull, Tern, 

 or Noddy was to be seen. A few of melanauchen breed, we 

 know, at South Corbyn's Cove during the monsoon, and perhaps 

 at that season, these islands also may be tenanted, but certainly 

 at the present season not a single sea bird is about the place. 



Towards evening we landed on the Southern or Little Button, 

 a tiny, rocky, precipitous island, perhaps an acre in extent. 

 Here we found, as indeed we had noticed on every island, 

 Blue and White Reef-herons, the Bow-billed Corby (C. Le- 

 vaillantii), the Red -whiskered Bulbul (0. emeria), the Anda- 

 man Sun-bird and the White-collared Green Kingfisher (H. 

 chloris), while overhead wherever we went the great White- 

 bellied Sea-eagles soared and wheeled in slow, never ceasino- 

 gyrations. 1 really think that there must be a pair of these 

 birds to every one of these islands; I counted eight at one 

 time in the air towards evening. 



