90 
ST. HELENA. 
and unaided migrate from other lands should he received with much 
caution— the nearest mainland being 1200 miles distant, and, 
situated right in the heart of the south-east trade winds, is nearly 
always to leeward of St. Helena; the Cape of Good Hope is nearly 
2000 miles, and the South American Continent just as far away; 
and the Island being directly in the track of homeward-bound, and 
not very far from that of outward-bound ships, birds may escape 
from them and find a resting-place thereon. The following extract 
from the local records of a period when there was much less traffic 
by sea, would, however, tend to show that, notwithstanding its 
isolation, birds have migrated to the Island .- — 
“17th October, 1727. There being several birds of a different 
species fiom those that frequent the Island lately come hither, the 
bodies of which are as large as a pheasant, their leggs long and 
black, but their claws opened and not webed like sea-fowle, with 
long bills, resembling those of a Snipe, but thicker and longer 
in proportion to the bulk of their bodies, which probably may breed 
here if not destroyed or disturbed — 
“ Ordered, that all persons be publickly forbid by advertizement 
either to kill or disturb any of the said birds or destroy any of their 
eggs.” 
H 1 ere being no bird answering to this description now in the 
Island, it may be presumed that in spite of this precaution these 
visitors did not remain at St. Helena. It is difficult also to account 
fully foi the almost total disappearance of some species, which once 
were abundant, such as the Frigate-bird, and possibly the entire 
disappearance of the Albatross, which does not now come so far 
north as St. Helena; though in Seale’s “Geognosy of the Island of 
^t. Helena it is stated that innumerable skeletons of it, associated 
with those of the Tropic-bird, lie buried from ten to ninety feet 
deep in earthy beds near Hold-fast Tom and Sugar Loaf. I have 
not found any of these remains, though, in justice to Mr. Seale, I 
must add that I have not been able to spend much time in searching 
for them. 
Many attempts have been made from time to time to introduce 
new birds. American mocking, as well as English song birds, have 
been imported,* but without success, until three years ago when I 
* In 1852, thrushes, blackbirds, larks, and starlings were let loose ; and in 1865-67, through 
the kind assistance of Mr. E. L. Layard, I turned loose some Cape pheasants, Er’aneoliims 
