IN THE GULF OF OMAN. 285 



which are scattered over a considerable portion of the plateau, 

 and a few tussocks of coarse grass. We also noticed a few wild 

 capers (C. Boxburghii) growing out of the cliffs on the north- 

 ern side. There is no water on the island, and it is uninhabited, 

 but at certain seasons of the year it is visited by Arab fishermen 

 for the sake of the turtle. Hindu pilgrims also resort there 

 to visit a rude shrine that exists on the summit of the tableland. 



The ascent on the northern side is steep and difficult, and 

 near the summit there is a rope fastened to a rock with steps 

 cut in the cliff, by which those who ascend have to pull them- 

 selves up (a part of the undertaking which I personally should 

 rather have avoided, as the rope looked very old and treacherous). 

 The island is claimed by Mir Mandu, the Chief of Pusni. 

 It is noticed by Nearchus, who calls it Oarnine. 



Geologically it is a fragment of the formation which Blanford 

 calls the Mekran Coast group, supposed to be not older than the 

 Miocene period. It consists of a thin crust of coarse shelly 

 " breccia " abounding with all kinds of mariue shells. The edge 

 of the plateau is covered in many places with huge cracks, and 

 large heaps of " debris" below testify to the frequency of land- 

 slips ; in fact in a geological sense, it is being rapidly consumed 

 by combined denudation and the action of the waves. 



Having now described Astola and the object I had in view, I 

 will give a brief account of our cruise. 



After leaving Kurrachee Harbour we steered for Jashk, one 

 of the Telegraph offices on the Mekran Coast, about 520 miles 

 from Kurrachee, arriving there in about four days. 



For the first two days sea sickness prevented me from doing- 

 much in the ornithological line personally ; but Captain Bishop, 

 1st officer of " the Amberiiitch," was kind enough to keep a 

 sharp look-out and reported to ire whenever any birds were 

 in sight. The only birds we saw during this part of the voyage 

 were about eight or ten White Boobies (S. cyanops ?) which oc- 

 casionally visited the ship, flying alongside and crossing the 

 bows after the fashion of tropic birds, sometimes singly, some- 

 times in pairs, and occasionally as many as three or four 

 together; a few tropic birds (P. indicus), a few Noddies 

 (Anous stolidus}, a few Petrels {T. wilsoni ?), about half a dozen 

 Skuas (<S. asiaticus?) and an occasional S. bergii, S. bengalensis 

 and Larus hempric/ni. Phalaropes (Lobipes h/perboreus) 

 and Shearwaters (Puj/iuns persicts) were abundant all along 

 the coast, as well as Sterna albigena and Sterna anos'thcetits, the 

 latter species not appearing however until we were about opposite 

 to Gwadar. 



On arriving at Jashk we anchored for a few hours, during 

 which time I went for a sail round the bay in the gig shooting 



Ml2 



