458 M-R. 0. SALVIN ON THE AVIPAUNA 



" The night of the 5th April I was taken with yellow fever, which kept me invalided 

 for more than a month. In the meantime Mr. Rubira arrived and sailed with his two 

 vessels for the islands ; and thus my much-cherished hope to visit the Galapagos, to 

 realize which had cost me so much anxiety, trouble, and time, was at once thwarted, 

 and caused me much mental dejection. One hopeful ray alone remained. Mr. Rubira 

 had said that he would soon send back the sloop with a cargo of orchilla, and that I 

 could go out in her on her return voyage. 



" Mr. Rubira had another reason for wishing for my company ; he trusted to my know- 

 ledge of practical astronomy to assist the gentleman to whom the command of the 

 sloop had been intrusted in directing the navigation. Although the captain had before 

 visited the islands as commander of one of two vessels once constituting the navy of the 

 Republic of Ecuador, he had not been to sea since that time, now many years ago ; and 

 consequently his nautical skill had lost too much of its freshness to ensure his being a 

 successful commander on the present occasion. 



After an absence of six weeks the sloop arrived in Ballenita, never having reached 

 the islands, and being obliged to put back owing to her leaky condition. This 

 circumstance restored my mind to its accustomed vigour, and helped much towards 

 restoring my health. The sloop having been repaired, Mr. Rubira would not trust 

 himself to her again, but hired a schooner of about forty tons, in which we left 

 Ballenita on the morning of the 18th July, the sloop leaving at the same time. A 

 steady breeze led us to hope a good passage, which was realized ; for on the 22nd July 

 we reached Hood Island, the sloop arriving on the 26th. 



" Whilst the schooner was loading the bales of orchilla, I daily visited the island ; 

 but I could not prepare any bird-skins for want of a suitable place for the operation, 

 finding none either on land or on board ; so, expecting to find the same species on the 

 other islands, I confined myself to the study of the volcanic formations of the island, in 

 collecting plants and such insects and animals as could be preserved in alcohol. I soon 

 found my mistake in neglecting the birds ; nor had I ever the opportunity of repairing 

 my error. 



" The species of birds I observed on Hood Island consisted of the two kinds of Hawk, 

 the spotted as well as the dusky one (which Mr. Darwin considered to be individuals 

 of different ages of the same species), the Dove (Zenaula galapagensis), and some of the 

 smaller kinds of the genus Geospiza. But I saw no numbers of either Camarhynchus 

 or Cactornis. There was a small Duck {Dafila bahaniensis), an Owl (Asio galajjagensis), 

 and another night-bird larger than the Asio. The Thrushes on Hood Island were darker 

 than those of the other islands, their bills longer and more curved, and their song of 

 poorer quality. There was also a kind of yellowish Wren, less brilliant in tint than 

 Dendrwca aureola, and without the rufous cap on the crown. Besides these there 

 were two kinds of Albatrosses: one had a dark blackish breast and a white band 

 crossing the head from one eye to the other ; the breast of the other was grey, and the 



