128 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



from the brilliantly-plumaged sunbirds of Africa, 

 which in general coloration are perhaps even more 

 beautiful than the majority of humming birds. 

 Dull coloration is characteristic of other birds of 

 the Seychelles. The white-eye* is of a duU 

 brownish-grey instead of being bright yellow and 

 green, as are the majority of the species of this 

 genus, while the SeycheUe parrotf is also greyish- 

 brown with but a faint tinge of yeUow. The 

 Madagascar and Comoro parrots, however, are 

 similar in this respect. It is remarkable that on 

 this group of islands there should be three such 

 dull-coloured species belonging to genera noted 

 for their bright-coloured species. Possibly this 

 is the effect of isolation for a very great time, 

 and these birds may be the oldest members of 

 the avifauna of the Seychelles.:!: 



During the night spent at Cascade Estate I 

 made several unsuccessful attempts to shoot a 

 small owl, which was calling continually through- 

 out the night in a large tree just outside the 

 house. This owl — Oymnoscops insularis — Mr. 

 Thommasset informed me he frequently heard, 

 and occasionally saw as it flew by day when 

 driven out of its hiding-place amongst the rocks 

 or hollow trees. A smaU kestrel§ appeared to 

 be not very abundant, but I think that it may be 



* Zosterops modesta. f Ooracopsia barkleyi. 



X The SeycheUe Islands are Uke St. Paul's Rocks, of neither volcanic 

 nor coral origin. 



§ Tinnunculus gracilis. 



