84 Mr. E. G. B. Meade- Waldo,


little bird swarmed in myriads all over the island, and was quite

without fear of man, as indeed were all the other birds. It laid

its one egg without any nest whatever, either on a boulder, a

ledge of rock, the branch of a tree, and very often on the up-

turned roots and branches of the dead trees with which the

island is covered. The diameter of the egg was frequently

greater than that of the branch or root on which it was deposited,

and I frequently saw some eggs balanced between two thin

branchlets. If there ever was a land-bird on this island it has

disappeared with the perishing of the indigenous timber, for

although there are a few trees, and some scrub on the summit of

the island, the tree-fern forest covers the greater part of the

valley on the leeward side.


From South Trinidad we sailed and steamed via Tristan

d'Acuuha, where we were unable to land owing to bad weather,

to Cape Town. Here some time was spent. Birds did not

appear to abound in Cape Town, but with the exception of our

Chimney-Swallow, Hirundo rustica, who was wintering there, but

in no great numbers, we saw no European birds.


The most striking birds of the town and gardens are, first,

the House-Sparrow, which is not Passer domesiicus but P. arcua-

tus, and did not appear to be remarkably abundant. A '• White-

eye," Zosterops capensis, a Pied Wagtail, Moiacilla capensis, the

Cape Robin Chat, Saxicola familiaris, Cape Turtle- Dove, Turtur

■capicola, a Sunbird, Nectarinia faniosa, a Promerops, and others ;

but in the bay and especially right in the inner harbour, the

Jackass Penguins, Spheniscus de7ners7is, and Cape Cormorants

are most interesting from their numbers and extreme familiarity.


One of the most delightful expeditions was one to Dasseu

Island, that was most kindly arranged by Mr. W. L. Sclater.

Dassen Island, about 40 miles N.-W. of Cape Town, is a great

breeding- place of Penguins and Cormorants. The birds are

preserved by the Colonial Government for guano, and the Pen-

guins also for eggs. The Island is some two miles long by one

mile wide, and is entirely given up to the birds, there being a

family living on the island as keepers. There is also a light-

house, in which we were most hospitably entertained for the

night. We were told that it was the "off" season when we were



