A UNIQUE ISLAND. 



U7 



the last century a Count Dalmas went there, like us, to 

 see what it might contain in the way of birds ; but he 

 never published the results of his observations, and his 

 collections seem to have been lost sight of. Lastly, in 

 1883, Richard Ludwig, a German geologist, made a very 

 short visit to the island. He gives its size as sixty square 

 kilometres, and agrees with Lavayasse that it is formed 

 of granite-like (granitisch) rocks with patches of coral 

 (Korallenbauten) on the shores. Finding no guano 

 deposits, for which he was apparently looking, the island 

 does not seem to have interested him. 



When first sighted, Blanquilla appears low, flat, barren 

 and uninteresting. Nothing, indeed, could have looked 

 less promising as we got our first impression of it ; and 

 our spirits, elated with the prospects of exploring new 

 ground, and with the hope of possible surprises which its 

 bird-Hfe might have in store, sank to zero. But as the 

 yacht ploughed on, and the distance gradually lessened, 

 matters began to improve. The uniform drab, or almost 

 tawny yellow, which looked so dreary and uninviting 

 from a distance, gradually crystallized into more definite 

 shapes and colours. Large patches of grey deepened 

 into green, or were picked out here and there with smaller 

 patches of deeper green still. The greens, in their turn, 

 became recognizable as savannas and woodland, the 

 greys as large stretches of cactus scrub. The vague 

 coast line became differentiated into low cliffs, gently 

 curving bays, fringes of green mangrove bushes, and 

 rocky promontories. There was a line of white where 

 the sea broke upon the shore. 



As we drew in closer stiU, and individual objects became 

 clearer, our surprise grew; for Blanquilla presented an 

 appearance which, as far as the Caribbean Sea and ios 

 islands are concerned, is practically unique. Except 

 for a fringe of cocoa-nut palms in one restricted spot, 

 there was not a hint of the Tropics in the whole scene. 

 One seemed to be nearing an island of rolling, grassy 

 downs ; while here and there, perched on the tops of rounded 



