sent down into the valley or ravine below to pick up the birds as they
fall.' Cats are great enemies to these birds, as well as to the gamebirds
in the Island, by preying on the young.
Fam. Lar idea.
Sterna, Linn.
* S . f u l ig in o s a , Gmel.—Egg-bird. Not very abundant, but
inhabits George’s and Speery Islands, with other rocky islets off the
coast, in considerable numbers. Egg-birds do not remain all the year
at St. Helena, and probably migrate to Ascension, nearly seven
hundred miles distant, where they are to be found in tens of
thousands, and are so tame and plentiful at a spot called “ Wide-
awake-Eair” that they may be knocked down by hundreds with a
walking-stick. They are there protected for the sake of the eggs, which
form an article of food with the inhabitants. They arrive in St. Helena
at the end of the year, and lay in January, February, and March.
Much risk of life is run in obtaining the eggs, which are brought to
the market, and by some persons are considered a delicacy equal to
plovers’. These birds seldom, if ever, come near the inhabited parts
of the Island.
Gygis, Wagl.
*G . c a n d id a , Wagl.—White-bird. One of the most abundant
sea-birds in the Island, in numbers perhaps next to the Noddy. I t
associates intimately with the Tropic-bird, but comes more inland,
building its nest in rocky cliffs and columnar basaltic dikes, such as
Lot, Lot’s Wife, and others situated several miles from the sea-coast;
occasionally it is seen flying high over the central part of the Island.
Its curiosity is very remarkable; it is easily attracted by a white
object, and will come within a foot or two, often in a disagreeable
manner, peering into the face of a person wearing a white hat or
some white article of clothing.
Anous, Leach.
*A . s to l id u s , Linn.—Noddy-Tem. A less shy and retiring
species than the other sea-birds, generally frequenting the roadstead,
where, in the neighbourhood of ships at anchor, it may be seen
sitting on the surface of the water or on boats. I t inhabits principally
the cliffs of the islets, such as Egg Island, where it breeds in
swarms. I t does not appear to associate with either the Tropic or
the White-bird, but is one of the most abundant species at St.
Helena.
CLASS I I I .—REPTILIA.
O r d e r L a c e r t il ia .
Hemidactylus, Cuv.
H. frenatus, Schleg.—A small brown harmless lizard, about four
inches in length, which lives under stones and old timber in the warm
lower parts of the Island. I t seldom enters houses unless in pursuit
of flies or scorpions, but is plentiful about the neighbourhood of
Jamestown, where in the evening its loud chirp is frequently heard.
O r d e e C h e l o n ia .
Chelonia, Flem.
Q viridis ?, Schn. Turtle are taken at St. Helena, generally on
the surface of the water, near the leeward coast; about six or eight of
a very large size are caught and brought to market during the year.
Caretta, Merrem.
*C. imbricata, Schweig.—The Hawk’s-bill Turtle, which is of so
much value on account of the tortoiseshell of commerce being
obtained from it, is occasionally caught on the leeward coast, but it
is rare. I t is a native both of American and Asiatic Seas.
Testudo, Linn.
T. indica,? Gm.—Two of these very large tortoises have, it is
said, for no one knows when they were introduced, lived at Plantation
for a century or more. They are remarkably strong, easily
carrying a man and walking with him a considerable distance.
Unwieldy and ugly as they are, they appear to enjoy their uninterest
ing life in travelling about the garden and grounds, but always
return to their hole in the earth, under cover of a tuft of thick long
grass on the lawn. They have not bred in the Island.
Occasionally a small imported species of Tortoise is seen in the
Island, but they do not appear to live long.
There being no snakes or alligators, the other orders of this class
are unrepresented at St. Helena.
h 2