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Show 1875.] MR. E. L. LAYARD ON FIJIAN BIRDS. 429 island is an enormous mass of crystallized limestone, and has also a cave in which the Swifts breed. Like Cicia, this cave is in the limestone cliffs running parallel to the sea. In the face of these cliffs is a small ravine, just a series of sharp-pointed blocks of stone, and a tangled mass of immense ' lianes' and monkey-ropes. Up this place, in company with Mr. T. Ryder, I had to make m y way, and almost cut a new pair of shoes" to pieces doing so. The mouth of the cave is about 100 yards up this ravine. It is small, not more than 10 yards in diameter, but opens at once into an immense hall, exactly like a theatre. On either side are the galleries, with pillars, composed of stalactites extending from roof to floor. Below is the pit, and opposite the entrance a level platform for the stage. The setting sun shone in at the entrance, and filled the whole place with a beautiful bright green light reflected from the limestone walls around. This place had evidently been used as a fortification during the troublous times of ancient Fijian history, as the mouth of the cave had been considerably lessened in width by carefully piled up walls of stones. Indeed ten years ago, a little after Mr. Ryder took possession of the island, and before he was aware of this cavern, a band of predatory Fijians from another island, whom he was pursuing, escaped him by taking refuge in it. One of them afterwards told him that as he and his men passed down the ravine, they lay behind the stone wall, with their muskets cocked and pointed. But to return to m y subject. Descending from the galleries, we crossed the pit, ascended the stage, and passed into a low and narrow passage, along which it was frequently necessary to go on all fours. The twittering of the Swifts, roused by our torches, now became audible, as they dashed past us; and the ground was covered deep with guano. Occasionally, too, a gaping black cleft would appear across our road, compelling us to travel very circumspectly. After about 40 yards of this work, the passage suddenly opened into a second immense circular hall, with stalactites hanging in every direction. This was evidently the main home of the Swifts; and I could see their nests all about, with the birds sitting on them apparently dazzled by the light. It was the height of the breeding-season, and from most of the nests two little bare heads and necks were hanging out, completely bewildered by their first sight of light. Balancing myself on one foot on the sharp point of a stalagmite, and supporting myself with one hand against the cavern-side, I managed to secure m y first nest. Below me, over which I reached, was a black chasm, very narrow but very deep, and which I did not care to look into too particularly. Taking the bird off, to m y great delight I found two glistening snow-white eggs. The bird, a female, I then killed. By some alpine scrambling about damp and precipitous ledges, we got into several little chambers close by the roof of the big hall, which contained numbers of nests. In only one more nest, however, did I find any eggs; every one contained two callow young. If I had arrived a fortnight before, I should have made a great haul. The nests were composed of the long stringy leaves of the iron-wood tree (Casuarina) gummed together, and fastened to any slight pro- |