After leaving Commander Wild and Mick, I walked out to “Wideawake Valley,” so called because of the number of birds which nest there. It is an extraordinary sight. There are millions of them, covering the ground for acres. They lay a single egg, about the size of a bantam’s and spotted. Many of the chicks had hatched out. If one goes too near they rush frantically about and lose their parents, and if they intrude too much on their neighbours sometimes get pecked to death. Many of the birds rise up and come flying, with raucous din, all about one’s head. The noise is maddening. Having seen what I wanted to see, I was glad to get away. I left the track I had come by and returned across country. The going off the tracks is very bad indeed, the surface of the island being much broken and covered with a short dry grass amongst which were numerous stones and boulders, which tired one’s feet very much. The heat, too, was considerable, and I was glad when I reached the club and obtained a long, cool drink, which was very comforting to my parched throat. During the afternoon the _Durham Castle_ came in. This is a bi-monthly event, and throws the whole island into a fluster. I took Worsley, McIlroy and Macklin aboard, when we met the captain and the ship’s doctor. I dined in the evening with the commandant. On August 3rd preparations were started for the coaling. The coal is of the poorest quality, consisting of dust and slag, and the price we were charged was exorbitant, but I was obliged to the commandant for being at pains to give us the best he could under the circumstances. Scientific work was continued, and Macklin and Kerr went off in the boat to another part of the island to obtain some different varieties of fish. In the evening we dined at the mess of the Eastern Telegraph Company, where we had a very merry evening. Most of us slept ashore, being kindly put up by members of the telegraph company. Douglas and Marr, who had ascended to the high part of the island, were very kindly accommodated by Mr. and Mrs. Cronk at their pretty house on the hill. [Illustration: THE ABANDONED WIRELESS STATION ON ASCENSION ISLAND _Photo: Dr. Macklin_] [Illustration: FLOWERING PLANTS GROWING IN THE VOLCANIC ASH AT ASCENSION ISLAND _Photo: Wilkins_] [Illustration: WIDEAWAKE PLAIN, ASCENSION ISLAND, WHICH IS COVERED WITH THOUSANDS OF BIRDS] [Illustration: A WIDEAWAKE]