.--On November 14, 1950, the S.S. Steel Surveyor of the Isthminan Steamship Company left Colombo, Ceylon, for the United States. I was a passenger, returning from Calcutta, India. The vessel was a C3 type, Dry Cargo, with a loaded tonnage of 18,000 tons. Her length was 492 feet overall and beam was 69.2 feet. She made an average of 17 knots an hour. We cleared the port of Colombo at five a.m. and about one hour later a wind squall arose from the mainland of Ceylon and engulfed the ship. The disturbance was of a short duration and when the skies cleared, Captain Burton Green pointed out to me four crows on the ship. They were the Common House Crow, Corvus splendens, and were perched on the foremast of the skip. This species is a common form of India and Ceylon. This crow is found always in the company of man. These four birds apparently had been blown from the mainland and had taken refuge upon our cargo ship. As we were well out to sea the birds remained aboard, making themselves at home, and devouring the food and water offered them. For six days the crows remained aboard; on November 18, the ship came within eight miles of Cape Guardafui, Somaliland, Africa, and the Socotra Islands. The sea was smooth and land clearly visible. The crows left the ship and flew towards the Cape. Through binoculars it appeared that they made a safe landing upon the rugged riffs. The crows had been transported about 3,000 miles over the Indian Ocean. On the afternoon of November 19, while the ship was in the Gulf of Aden, a I-Ioopoe, Upupa epops, in pursuit of a dragon fly terminated its flight on the radar mast of the ship. For five days this bird alternately circled the ship and rested upon its deck. I did not observe the bird feeding during its sojourn aboard. At Suez where we dropped anchor prior to entering the Suez Canal, the Hoopoe flew to the African shore. Its flight appeared to be strong despite its lack of finding food aboard. I had observed I-Ioopoes upon the Indian lawns, in groups of three to five, as they probed the soil in search of insects. On the ship the bird appeared out of its usual habitat, although it seemed to enjoy circling the skip and flying alongside as the ship moved at 19 knots an hour. On the morning of November 20, as we entered the Red Sea through the Straights of Bah E1 Mandeb, a White Wagtail, Motacilla alba, came aboard; later, this bird was joined by another. These birds walked the afterdeck, incessantly wagging their tails. Their food consisted of a green aphid which they pursued on the deck of the ship. The vessel was homeward bound and the seamen were busily engaged in the activities of preparing the ship for the home port. However, their activities did not discourage the Wagtails for the birds flew among the working crewmen. At Port Said the Wagtails left the ship. They had ridden the ship the entire length of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal and had probably flown ashore to some part of Egypt. These observations are examples of one method by which organisms may be introduced into different parts of the world.--MxLcOLr DAviS, The National Zoo- logical tark, Washington, D.C.