Vol. xliii.] 4 



nearest neighbour Nightingale Island, and 1500 miles 

 W. by S. of the Cape of Good Hope, a stay o£ four days 

 was made. This island is small, of volcanic origin ; about 

 seven to eight miles long and three to four miles wide. It 

 has been described as lofty, and its height estimated at 

 4380 feet, but the aneroid readings by Capt. C. V. Douglas, 

 the geologist, who climbed to the top, proved it to be just 

 under 3000 feet. From the sea the island appears green 

 and beautiful, rising abruptly on almost every side. It 

 is deeply scarred with ravines that generally terminate 

 in high cliflfs, over which waterfalls shoot and are lost in 

 spray before they reach the sea below. Landings were 

 said to be difficult and dangerous, but during a four-days' 

 stay it was always possible to go ashore, and it is thought 

 that by taking advantage of the shelving rocks at the foot 

 of the cliffs it would always be possible to effect a landing. 



"As in South Georgia, the birds were found to con- 

 gregate at one particular part of the island, the western 

 corner, which in both cases is the most difficult of access. 

 Numerous Petrels, Terns, and Skuas were seen, and of 

 only two Penguins seen one was secured and proved to be 

 Eudr/ptes serresianus. Many rookeries were noticed, but 

 these at the time of our visit (June 1st) were unoccupied. 

 The ' Island hen ' {Forphyriornis comeri) was found to be 

 plentiful, though difficult to collect in the thick growth 

 of tussock and fern. The Thrush {Nesociclila eremita) 

 found on the Tristan Group was not observed on Gough 

 Island. A considerable number of the Buntings named 

 by Dr. Eagle Clarke (Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. xv. 1904, 

 p. 18) Nesospiza goughensis and N. jessicce were collected, 

 and it is expected that a close comparative study of these 

 birds will bring forward some new and interesting facts. 



" 56 specimens were collected on Gough Island, repre- 

 senting 10 species. From Gough Island the return journey 

 was made via Cape Town and the islands in the Atlantic 

 Ocean. 



"At Ascension Island the 'Wideawake Fair' — a hu^e 



