to the Island of Rodriguez. 153 



But to conclude my story. On getting to the boats we 

 immediately started homewards, and, though it was a dead beat, 

 we sailed back to Port Mathurin, which we reached about six 

 in the evening. The next morning, to my disgust, it was de- 

 cided to return to Mauritius immediately. Notwithstanding 

 that we did not get under weigh till late in the afternoon, that 

 day was a dies non to me ; and thus ended my visit to Rodri- 

 guez, where I could have well managed to spend a month to 

 my own advantage. Just before leaving, the police-magistrate 

 brought me two young fledged Foudice, and they are now alive 

 here in Mauritius, but will not feed themselves. I am only 

 afraid I may not have time to look properly after them. 



To sum up the fruits of my trip, besides the Dodoes bones, I 

 have one, if not two, new species of birds. There may be other 

 land-birds, but the people could tell me nothing about them. 

 I heard of a "Serin" {Crithagra t) , a '^Bengali" {Estrelda'^.), 

 and a Dove ; but whether indigenous or introduced they could 

 not say. There are certainly no Hawks, or " Merles " {Hypsi- 

 petes), or Swallows. Of sea-birds, there are Noddies {Anous 

 stolidus), and Sooty Terns [Onychoprion fuliginosa), Sterna 

 velocc, and the Gygis ; also one, if not two, species of Shearwater 

 [Puffinus), the Booby, and Frigate-bird {Fregata) j of the last 

 I only saw one individual ; besides the Curlew and Turnstone 

 before- mentioned. Wild Guinea-fowls are common; they 

 appear to me to be from the Madagascar stock {Numida 

 tiarata), and not the African. Of Dodos^ remains no one knew 

 anything more than that, " long temps passi, di monde, n^a pas 

 conne qui, fin vini rode pour li ; " which, being interpreted, 

 means, " a long time ago, someone, I know not who, came and 

 looked for it," and this was all the information I could get. I 

 was told that the eggs of the Foudia \Jlavicans'] were blue, and 



Society on the 14th February ; having been identified as the right femur, 

 the left humerus, and the left tarso-metatarsus of Didus nazarenus, 

 Bartlett (P. Z. S. 1851, pi. xlv. p. 284),— the very large species of Dodo, 

 which was so strangely confounded by Messrs. Strickland andMelville with 

 the long-legged " Solitaire," Pezophaps solitarius, Strickland (partim). 

 They will be figured in the Zoological ' Proceedings ' for the current year. 

 —Ed. 



M 2 



