ZOOLOGY. 95 



breeze caused so much swell outside Castle {Harbour, as to 

 render the attempt unsafe. 



On or about the 1st of August, in the same year, Mr. 

 Salton Smith, of St. George's, kindly undertook, at my sug- 

 gestion, to visit the Black Eock, with the view of obtaining 

 specimens of the Cahow. The foUowiag account of his 

 proceedings I extract from my notes. 



"He tells me, that on the occasion alluded to, the sea 

 was rougher than he anticipated, and that he had some diffi - 

 j culty in landing a boy upon the rock. This, however, he 

 succeeded in doing vdth the dingy, and the boy twice 

 returned with specimens of young sea birds, consisting of 

 about a dozen "redshanks," (terns,) and two cahows, all 

 which were safely got on board the dingy. He then went 

 for eggs, and returned with some dozens in the fold of his 

 shirt ; with these he attempted to jump into the frail bark 

 as it rose upon a sea, but missing his footing, fell into the 

 water, and was in danger of being drowned. Mr. Smith, 

 in his endeavours to save the boy, was carried on the rock, 

 the dingy was upset, and stove, and the whole of the 

 specimens and eggs lost. How the parties got back to 

 their sail boat I did not learn, but they did so, in safety. 



Mr. Smith describes these cahows as being two beautiful 

 birds, one of them in particular, which he took to be a 

 male. They were about the size of a common duck, white 

 below, and mottled "with dark colour about the head and 

 upper parts of the body. The two were found together in 

 the same hole ; the old birds were not seen. This is the 

 fuU extent of the information gained upon this occasion. 



On the 17th of May, 184-9, Captains Orde, and McLeod 

 (42nd Highlanders), visited the Black Eock. They landed 



