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


SOME REMARKS ON BIRDS SEEN DURING


THE CRUISE OF THE "VALHALLA," R.Y.S.


By E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


After leaving Cape Town our first place of call was Durban,

where only one day was spent, which I passed on the "Bluff" -

collecting insects. Among the many birds observed was the

Tambourine Dove {Tympanistria tympanisiria), the flight of

which is most extraordinarily rapid. The weather in the Mozam-

bique Channel was so bad that we had to run past two of the

islands we had intended to visit — Isla da Europa and Brazza da

India. ■ While in a cyclone, which is by no means a pleasant

experience, many birds took shelter to the leeward of the yacht's

hull, by great effort preventing themselves from being blown

away, hovering wherever they could find most shelter, but even

then were occasionally whirled away by the storm and occasion-

ally dashed into the water. I saw a Little Stint blown into the

water and engulfed in a gigantic wave, yet it came up again, got

on the wing, and worked its way up, sheltering in the trough of

the sea, until it had again reached the yacht's shelter. The birds

were mostly waders : Wimbrels, Reeves, Curlew Sandpipers,

Ringed Plover, Little Stint, and a large Harrier. A Nightjar

came on board and several common Chimney Swallows. These

last were just finishing a complete spring moult into breeding

plumage, indeed one was clean moulted except that the first

primaries and long tail streamers were still in the blood.


Our first landing place was Mayotte Island, Comoros. We

spent several delightful days collecting there, but got no live

birds. The heat was great and the weather very wet for the most

part, and so bad that on going to Anjuan, another island we had

hoped to collect upon, we found it impossible to land owing to

the sea and rain. I do not propose to enumerate the birds of

Mayotte Island, but two beautiful Paradise Flycatchers were

very common and one, Terpsephone linsayi, appears to be a new

species. Nesacanthis eminentissima is a very beautiful Weaver-

bird ; and a Fruit Pigeon, Alectrcenas sganzini, a beautiful bird,

and a delightful day was spent going to the patch of virgin forest

which it frequents.



