RARE BIRDS. A SUDDEN STORM. 379 



this desolate island which made us regret that there 

 was not more to give us occupation. Doctor Ca- 

 bot found in it a rich field for his ornithological pur- 

 suits, but he was rather unfortunate. Two speci- 

 mens of rare birds, which he had dissected and put 

 away to dry, were destroyed by ants. In the clear- 

 ing was a dead tree, holding on its topmost branch- 

 es the nest of a hawk of a rare species, the eggs 

 of which were unknown to naturahsts. The nest 

 seemed to have been built in apprehension of our 

 visit. The dead branches were barely able to sup- 

 port it, and would evidently bear no additional 

 weight. The patron and sailors cut down the tree, 

 and the eggs were broken, but preserved in frag- 

 ments. 



In the afternoon we picked up shells along the 

 shore, and toward evening we again took a bath; 

 while we were in the water black clouds gather- 

 ed suddenly, thunder rolled, lightning flashed, and 

 sea-birds flew screaming over our heads. Rain 

 • following quickly, we snatched up our clothing 

 and ran for the hut. Looking back for a moment, 

 we saw our canoa under way, with scarcely a 

 yard of mainsail, and seeming like a great bird fly- 

 ing over the water. As she turned the point of 

 the island and disappeared our fears were roused. 

 From our experience of a little rough weather we 

 judged it impossible for her to live through a storm 

 so sudden and violent; and our sense of thankful- 

 ness at not being on board made us feel more sen- 



