114 CLAREMONT GROUP. 



for the purpose of searching for them, and it was sup- 

 posed that one or two others which had come up to 

 lay escaped detection from the darkness of the night. 



On August 31st, we removed to an anchorage 

 under No. V. of the Claremont group, and remained 

 there during the following day. The island is 

 ahout two-thirds of a mile in circumference, low 

 and sandy, with a large reef extending to wind- 

 ward. The island is thinly covered ^dth coarse 

 grass and stragghng bushes, with one large thicket 

 containing a few trees, of which the tallest is a 

 solitary Mimusops. We found quail here in great 

 plenty, and they afforded good sport to a " First of 

 September" shooting party, provided with a setter. 

 At length the poor quail had their quarters so 

 thoroughly beaten up, that several, in attempting 

 to escape from the island, were observed to fall into 

 the water from sheer exhaustion. Nor did the 

 birds receive aU the benefit of the shot, for Captain 

 Stanley, while observing with the theodolite, became 

 unwittingly a target for a juvenile shooter ; but, 

 fortunately, no damage was done. Some turtle 

 were seen at night, but they were too wary to be 

 taken. I found several nests with eggs, by probing 

 in all the likely places near their tracks with my 

 ramrod ; in passing through an egg, the end of the 

 rod becomes smeared with the contents, and comes 

 up with a httle sand adhering to it, directing one 

 where to dig-. 



No. VI. of the Claremont group was next ^dsited. 



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