24 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



restored to liberty minus their long tail feathers, which I 

 brought away with me. 



Among the eggs obtained on this occasion were several 

 much lighter in colour than I had seen before, and much 

 less speckled with the deep. red. 



The number of these birds which breed along the coast 

 must be very considerable, if we may judge from the facility 

 with which the above were captured. 



An old woman, living at Port Royal, who has been in 

 the habit of EATING Tropic Birds, declares them to be 

 " quite as good as fish " I 



May 2%tk, 1847. — Received a specimen of the Fulica 

 americana, or American Coot, from Mr. Elwin. This bird 

 was shot at Somerset. Length, fourteen and a half inches. 

 Sent to the Rev. H. B. Tristram. From its having no 

 white whatever on the wings, I take it to be a female. 



May 31st. — Mr. Elwin (of Somerset) wrote me word this 

 day that he had killed three and a half couple of Snipe 

 (Scolopax wilsonii) during the present month. This he 

 considers very early for them to appear. 



June 2nd, 1847. — Visited the islands about Castle Har- 

 bour with Mr. Marriott. Saw many Tropic Birds, and 

 brought away a young one. Also saw a Tern, which I 

 think must be the Roseate species. It was blowing too 

 hard to visit the "Black Rock," which is said to be a 

 favourite resort of these birds. Failed in our endeavours 

 to meet with a bird called by the residents the " Cahow" 

 (and so mentioned in Smith's " History of Virginia," written 

 upwards of two centuries ago, a portion of which is devoted 

 to a description of the Bermudas). From all that I can 



