uncanny and reveals the quality of the peculiar bond that holds the men of all Britain's official affairs together. Collecting around Faisi, although not highly successful as far as the number of birds is concerned, managed to establish pretty well what there is to be had on Shortland Island. Most of our hunting was done at the back of the plantation operated by Percival Bedford. There are no trails in the bush here to amount to anything, but there is enough var- iety in the terrain, growth, foliage, height of trees, etc., to attract most every kind of bird. Shortland Island has crows, hornbills, minors, striped-bellied hawks, broadbills, cockatoos, large green parrots, yellow-headed parrots, cocoanut parrots, brown fantails, black fantails, black-headed flycatch- ers, thickheads, blackheads, white-eyes, red-capped doves, common doves, starlings, rusty-winged black- birds, ground doves, graybirds, common pigeon, and white-tailed pigeon, the common ground pigeon. I also saw a bird, a mysterious sort of thing whose back was as green as taro leaves, which I could never shoot, never get a clear view of, never have time to line my sights on for so much as a second. I saw it three times during our stay. It had no call as far as I know, and attracted my attention only when it would flutter off a heavy leafed bush close to my track and fly off noiselessly through the jungle. Its flight was a quick one, uncertain, and delicate,