Vol. xxiii.] 70 



A. B. Trevor-Battye, H. M. Wallis, S. J. White, C. J. 

 Wilson, H. F. Witherby {Secretary 5f Treasurer). 



Guests of the Club : — Bentley Beetham, R. B. Lodge, 

 Oliver G. Pike. 



Visitors : — J. L. Anstruther, C. Chubb, Sir Savile 

 Crossley, Bart., L. W. Crouch, Marquis of Dueferin and 

 AvA, L. A. Dunn, C. E. Fagan, W. B. Fry, J. Hamilton, 

 S. F. Harmer, F.R.S., E. Hollis, Major B. R. Horsbrugh, 

 H. E. Howard, Charles Ingram, Sir William Ingram, 

 Bart., Guy A. K. Marshall, R. O. Mathews, G. Meade- 

 Waldo, T. Miller, Hon. W. Powys, Cyril Rhodes, E. F. 

 de Rougemont, C. Russell, S. J. Scott, W. H. Smith, 

 W. P. C. Tenison, T. Wells. 



Dr. Sclater gave a short account of his visit to Jamaica, 

 where he had spent the two jDreceding months in order to 

 escape the severity of the English winter. In this island, of 

 perpetual verdure and charming scenery, hirds, he regretted 

 to say, were scarce, and, it was feared, would become still 

 more so in consequence of the ravages of the Mongoose, 

 which had been unwisely introduced from India in order to 

 keep down the rats. After thinning off the rats, these 

 animals had taken to destroying poultry and ground- 

 frequenting birds. Quails [Ortyx virginianus) and Guinea- 

 fowls {Numida meleagris), which formerly afforded good 

 shooting in many districts of Jamaica, had now quite dis- 

 appeared, and even the little Tody (Todus viridis) seemed 

 to be much less abundant than in former days. 



The most numerous bird to be seen in Jamaica was the 

 Red-headed American Vulture {Cafhartes aura), which was 

 in attendance as scavenger at the kitchen middens in all 

 towns and villages. This bird had a most graceful and 

 pleasing flight, somewhat like that of the Black Kite, and 

 might be seen swooping about the houses and gardens at 

 all hours of the day. It bred in the rocky caves in the 

 mountains, and a nest containing two young ones, appa- 

 rently about three weeks old, had been visited on March the 



