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rocka behind us, flying to a grove of Badamier trees where 
they fed on the nuts. While we were enjoying our pipes 
and discussing the treasures we had accumulated in 
the day, I was surprised to hear a short of shrill pro- 
longed whistle as if from a child’s voice that seemed to 
come from the Clifts. Mr Hickie, a policeman, who had 
joined us, said it was the cry of a very curious bird that only 
made its appearance at night. He told us he had never seen 
but one, though he had been so loDg in Mahe, and that was 
found killed under a fallen tree where some wood-cutters 
were at work. It lives only at the top of the mountain, is as 
large as barndoor fowl, with long legs and is of an ashen grey 
colour, according to his account. I was so much interested in 
the story he and a forester gave us of the bird, I offered a 
handsome reward for a specimen either skinned or in spirits* 
The one that paid us a visit, kept up his cry nearly the whole 
night, and a queer one it wa3 such as I never heard from a 
bird before. The fresh specimens of Natural History I had 
procured were put temporarily to cleanse them in a jar of Mahe 
Eum placed in our outer room. I had a good many of the pre- 
vious day’s in our bed-room in some poisoned rum brought from 
Port Louis, luckily as it happened. When we got up next 
morning and I went to look at my jars, the one in the outer 
room was full of the specimens truly, but the rum was non 
est ! Mr Tipsy had drunk it all ! A precious draught he must 
have had, as any naturalist will easily guess who knows what 
the first spirit is like that has snails, snakes Ac. steeped in it. 
He did not appear any the worse for it, but I was obliged to 
send back to Mahe for a fresh supply much to the annoyance 
of Grumbler. It is well he had not hit upon the poisoned 
one, or I might have been had up for murder. As it was I so 
frightened them about the poison I was going to put in the 
next rum I got, that I had no more theft. 
“ We determined on climbing to the top of the Morne 
Blanc which is the highest point in the Island. We got on 
* The Hon. Newton who so perseveringly collected the Birds of these 
Islands, many of which are exceedingly rare, but did not escapo his no- 
tice, informs me that he never even heard of this bird. 
