420 THE LACCADIVES AND THE WEST COAST. 
out to sea, was struggling and flapping on the water, down 
came a magnificent White-bellied Sea Hagle (C. leucogaster) 
from somewhere over our heads, hurtling like a thunderbolt 
straight on to the quarry, and a minute later was sailing leisurely 
away shorewards with the Pigeon in his claws, doubtless to feed 
its young. 
Besides the Pigeons we found two or three Blue Rock Thrush- 
es (Cyanocincla cyana) and a pair of common Kestrels, but 
though we remained several hours on the rocks and explored them 
thoroughly, we saw nothing else either on land or at sea. 
Dr. Jerdon tells us (I. p. 183) that the Indian Edible-nest Swift- 
let (Collocalia unicolor, Jerd.) breeds upon these rocks. Not 
one bird of this species was, however, visible, nor were there any 
traces of nests in the great cave, the only one we could find, 
and either the birds have deserted the locality or they only visit 
it during the breeding season, later in the year. 
Deserted, however, as these rocks now are, there must be a 
time when the largest of them, surnamed Burnt Island (and 
on which curiously enough we found much of the grass burnt), 
teems with bird life. Kverywhere in the crevices and amidst 
the tangled grass, we found innumerable addled, broken and 
more or less decayed Terns’ eggs, while all about in similar 
situations, Mummies, dessicated corpses, of young birds of all 
ages and of a few old Sterna anosthetus lay scattered, leaving no 
possibility of doubt as to the species which chiefly breeds there. 
But besides the anosthetus egos, we also found in one place a 
few very much larger eggs, too decayed for preservation, but still 
showing sufficient of the characteristic markings to leave no 
donbt as to their pertaining to some one of the larger Laridz. 
The rocks were everywhere thickly crusted for about 3 feet 
downwards from high water mark, with small Ostrea’s apparent 
ly all dead, and on these were everywhere scampering multi- 
tudes of two species of variegated reef crabs (Grapsus strigosus 
and pictus), that innumerable and fearless as they seemed, proved 
by no means so easy to capture as might have been expected. 
Outside, and around the main rocks, on which, by the way the 
landing is somewhat difficult, stand many bold stacks of rock, 
round, and high over, which the surf was boiling and spouting. 
Even for a well-manned cutter the navigation is not easy if 
only a little sea is on, and it must be very rarely that during 
the monsoon, when, as I believe, anosthetus breeds, a landing 
can be effected on Burnt Island. 
No coral is any where observable about these rocks, though 
they are situated in only 16° N. latitude. 
February 5th.—During the night we ran down past Goa, and 
about 6 A.M. were off St. George’s Island, but the wind failed 
