294 Mr. E. L. C. Layard’s Notes of a 
banana-trees as far inland as we could distinguish. The head 
of the bay is formed by a semicircle of steep hills, rising right 
out of the water for some 600 feet. They are scored by steep 
ravines, with knife-like edges between them ; and the amount 
of climbing to be done in a morning’s shooting is a thing 
to be remembered. ‘The northern arm of the bay is formed 
by three apparently extinct volcanos, known as the “ Mother ” 
and the “ North” and “South Daughters.” The “ North 
Daughter” had all the forest burnt off its slopes at the begin- 
ning of 1878, by the sudden upheaval of a new volcano close 
to the sea. Between the ‘‘South Daughter” and the “Mother” 
is a low range of hills, the sides furrowed by deep ravines and 
clothed with thick forest. From the base of that range of 
hills to the sea is a flat plain, with a breadth of about two 
miles in its widest part, covered with long coarse grass, and 
interspersed with groves of forest trees. ‘The tree-covered 
ravines and the grassy plain were my hunting-grounds for 
the most of our six weeks’ stay in Blanche Bay. Lieut. 
Richards surveyed the Duke-of-York archipelago, finding 
twelve islands and three harbours, instead of one island and 
one harbour, as laid down in the ordinary chart. Of course 
I was out shooting every day that the weather permitted. 
We also went to Ferguson’s Bay (subsequently misnamed 
* Port Webber” by the Germans) to chastise some pirates 
who had plundered a wrecked English vessel. I got some 
birds there also. Most of the species in my collection are 
common both to New Britain and Duke-of-York group ; those 
we did not procure in both places I will particularize. 
HALtAstur LEUCcosTERNUS, Gould. 
Found in the Solomon Islands also. I found a pair breed- 
ing on the topmost dead branch of an enormous bread-fruit 
tree, but the natives would not climb up for me. 
AsTUR ETORQUES, Salvad. 
Not common. Found a nest with female sitting, after the 
male had been shot by the boatswain ; but the natives would 
not get it. 
