95 [Vol. xvi. 



Here I obtained or saw many interesting specimens of 

 birds and mammals. For the opportunity of visiting- this 

 forest we were indebted to the French governor of Diego 

 Suarez^ who kindly placed a special train at our disposal. 

 Thence we steamed to Glorioso Island, where we landed 

 on March 10th. Here examples of three species of land- 

 birds, as well as several sea-birds, were obtained. After 

 staying at Glorioso for two days we visited Assumption, 

 and during two delightful days, I managed to collect 

 specimens of every species of land-bird seen, of which 

 there were five. On March 13th we left Assimiption 

 for Aldabra, where many interesting birds, etc., were 

 collected. After leaving Aldabra, Lord Crawford had 

 intended to stop at two more of these coral islands, viz., 

 Cosmoledo and Astove, but on our way to the former we 

 had the misfortune to be carried twenty miles out of our 

 course in a few hours, and in the middle of the night of 

 March 16th we ran ashore on Assumption Island. Here 

 we remained fast for twenty-four hours, but finally got off 

 without damage. After this, however, it was necessary to 

 go into some port, so we laid our course straight for the 

 Seychelles, and anchored at Mahe on March 22nd. Col- 

 lections were made here, as well as on Praslin and Felicite 

 Islands, but we were prevented from visiting other islands 

 of this group by bad weather, the worst known at the 

 Seychelles for many years. On April 8th we left Mahe for 

 Aden, and from there for home via the Suez Canal. 

 During the voyage I collected and skinned just over 500 

 birds, besides mammals, fishes, etc. The collections thus 

 made have been presented to the British Museum by Lord 

 Crawford, as was the case with those made during the 

 former cruises of the ' Valhalla.' " 



Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, who also accompanied 

 Lord Crawford on the " VahaUa," made some interesting 

 remarks on the birds observed during the voyage. 

 He specially mentioned the immense numbers and extreme 

 familiarity of a species of Gygis met with on South 



