Robert Vaughan

“ The Wheatears left in the afternoon for the south-east, and the Redstart made itself quite at home on one of the guns. It so happened that a sailor was turning out his "bag" (which is a nautical receptacle for clothes) , and the ship during her twelve years in Australia had collected a very fine breed of Cockroaches. As the sailor was shaking out a jumper a Cockroach was jerked out on to the deck in front of the Redstart, who pounced down and greedily devoured it. That started half the crew Cockroach-catching, in which I joined myself, and there never was a pampered bird so banqueted before. ”

“ I never saw a more slovenly untidy bird, but as it was the first to welcome me home after an absence of five years from England, I forgave it its slatternly appearance. It didn't stay long, and, after trying vainly to fly to windward, turned tail, and was blown away on a course which would have eventually landed it in South America. Earlier in the morning I had seen a Duck (sp. inc.) very high up and flying very fast towards Ushant; but I can hardly include this in the list, as I failed to recognise the species. ”

“ In fact, this is the first time during some years afloat that I have seen any sea bird settle on a vessel at sea, though when at anchor it is not unusual for some of the Laridæ to settle for a while.
No other bird visited us till after we had left Aden, on Sept. 10th, and were entering the Red Sea on the 12th, when a Hoopoe (Upupa epops) arrived during the night, and was discovered at sunrise. The efforts of a sailor in trying to catch it frightened the bird away, and it failed to return. ”