220 A NATURALIST ON DESERT ISLANDS. 



isolated islaoads by the crumbs which fall from the sea- 

 birds' table ; for they seem to live to a large extent on 

 unconsidered trifles which these latter birds drop or leave 

 about their nests. Sometimes their levies take a more 

 aggressive turn than this, for I saw a hen grackle trying to 

 break the egg of a gannet, which had just left its nest. 

 She persistently hammered with her bill on the egg, and 

 on my twice driving her away, quickly returned and 

 commenced operations again — another instance of how 

 tame the birds on these islands are. The song of this 

 island crackle is particularly sweet, and their notes were 

 the only cheerful sign of life existing in the solemn silence 

 which seems to reign on these islands. 



Two other land-birds which we found dwelling here 

 were the small black finch (Euethia johnstonei) which we 

 had discovered on Blanquilla, and a peregrine falcon 

 (Falco anatum) ; the latter, doubtless, reaping a rich harvest 

 from any unprotected young gannets or frigate-birds. 

 To see it swinging round the rocks, on the look-out for 

 a meal, a hundred feet or more below us was a fine 

 sight. 



The last part of our climb, before we reached the summit 

 of the island, was both hot and stiff work ; for the steep 

 slopes are covered with loose boulders hidden among 

 coarse grass, knee-deep. Decaying tree-trunks and an 

 almost impenetrable forest of upright cactus, added 

 considerably to our difficulties. To get through them at 

 all, we had to cut a path with our machetes. The heat was 

 staggering, and the loose boulders especially treacherous ; 

 for a fall among the deadly columns of cactus was an event 

 too ghastly to contemplate. There is an end, however, 

 to most things ; and so, panting and sweating, wriggling 

 and squirming, beneath the spreading branches of " black 

 mangrove " trees, we reached the top and stood upon a 

 large heap of rocks. 



Stretching away along the saddle-backed ridge of the 

 island, was a perfect sea of more cactus and tall grass, 

 while scattered here and there were clumps of " mangrove" 



