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yielding about 8,000 velts annually. He has planted young 
trees very largely. His drying house is recently built, and in 
a most improved style. The roof of corrugated iron, is made 
to runoff and on at will, so that should a storm occur, the 
coco nuts can be covered in a moment. Mr Nageon appears 
to be an enterprising man, one of the few with really an eye 
to the future. So soon as I arrived I had breakfast with the 
family and then set out looking for specimens of Natural 
History. Just behind the house is the monster boulder noticed 
by former visitors. I thought I had already seen the largest 
granite boulder to be found, but all sink into insignificance in 
comparison with this. It is true granite, nbout 125 feet high 
and nearly half a mile in circumferance, very much water 
worn and I was told inaccessible. 
“ I wandered about the forest and found many interesting 
objects. The snakes I get were the same as those found in 
other island, and are peculiar to this archipelago, the Tropi- 
donatus Seychellensis. Mr Nageon gave me a small turtle 
which is found only at La Digue, I saw the beautiful Widow 
Bird, La Veuve TcMtrea Gorvina described already so well by 
the Honorable E. Newton, which he gives as a native of 
Praslin, but I doubt if a single specimen is to be met there 
now, and fear it will soon be another of the extinct bii*ds of 
this region. I shot a female, in her black dress which I sup- 
pose give its name, but did not succeed in getting a male, 
though I saw two or three. The plumage varies so much, the 
latter might be taken for a different bird, for the only black it 
shews is on its head, so glossy and so relieved by the brilliant 
blue and yellow beak and bright sharp eyes that he wears no 
sign of mourning for his coat is of brown with a snowy vest. 
The female however in the sun has a glint of colour to relieve 
the sombre grey black of her plumage. I did not see any of 
the Mangeurs de riz, Foudici Seychellarum though said to 
be there. 
“ We returned on tioard about 4 o’clock p. m. when the 
Erigate had her steam up and sails loose and we soon left our 
anchorage when uuder full headway there was a cry of “ man 
over board ” spread through the ship. All was excitement 
