wore lumuM'ous, tlu'rr' vM'ff tlnrU'i'ii ()( tliosc, otic
only was a bootU'. A small sju’cics of aid, swaniicd liy llimi-
sauds uiulor llu' loose ilry blocks ol coral, and was llic. only
true Insccl winch was alniiulanl. Allluuigli the |)ro(luctioiis ol
the land arc thus scanty ; if wc look to the waters oi Iho snr-
roinuhng sea, the number of organic beings is inilccd iniinilo.
C’hainissot has described the natural liistory ol llomanzolT,
a lagoon island iu the Uaclack Arcliqiclago. The lumihcr
and kind of productions there is very nearly t.lie same with
tiioso here. One small lizard ivas seen : wading liirds
(Xuinenius and Scoloiiax) were numerous, and very tame.
Of plants, lie states there were nineteen species (including
one fern); and some of them are the same sjiccics with
those I collected here, although on an island situated in a
diftorcnt ocean.
T lie s e s tr ip s o f la u d a rc ra is e d o n ly to th a t h e ig h t, to
w h ic h th e s u r f c an th row f r a gm e n ts , a n d th e w in d h e a p u p
s a n d . T h e ir p ro te c tio n is d u e to th e o u tw a rd a n d la te r a l
in c re a s e o f th e re e f, w h ic h th u s b r e a k s th e sea . T h e
a s p e c t a n d c o n s ti tu tio n o f th e s e is le ts a t o n c e c a ll u p th e
id e a , th a t th e la n d a n d th e o c e a n a re h e r e s tru g g lin g fo r
m a s t e r y : a lth o u g h te r r a - f in n a h a s o b ta in e d a fo o tin g , th e
d e n iz e n s o f th e o th e r e lem e n t th in k th e i r c la im a t le a s t
e q u a l. I n e v e rv p a r t o n e m e e ts h e rm it- c r a b s o f m o re th a n
o n e s p e c ie s ,! c a r ry in g o n th e ir b a c k s th e h o u s e s th e y h a v e
s to le n f rom th e n e ig h b o u r in g b e a c h . O v e rh e a d , th e tr e e s
a re o c c u p ie d b y n um b e r s o f g a n n e ts , fr ig a te -b ird s , a n d te rn s .
* T h e th ir te e n sp e cie s b e lo n g to tlie fo llow in g o rd e rs . Coleóptera, a
sp e cie s o f m in u te E l a te r ; Orthoptera, a G ry llu s a n d B la tta ; Hemipfera,
o n e ; Homoptera, tw o ; Xemojitera, a C h ry so p a ; Hymenoptera, tw o a n ts ;
Lepidoptera Hocturna, a D io p a ea, a n d a P t e ro p h o ru s ( ? ) . Biptera, tw o .
f K o tz e b u e ’s F i r s t Voyage, vo l. iii., p . 2 2 2 .
i T h e la rg e claws o r p in c e rs o f som e o f th e s e c rab s , a r e m o s t b e a u tifu
lly a d a p te d , w h en d raw n b a c k , to form a n o p e rc u lum to th o sh e ll,
w h ic h is n e a rly as p e rfe c t as th e p ro p e r o n e t h a t b e lo n g e d to th e o rig in a l
m o llu sco u s a n im a l. I was a s su re d , a n d as fa r as my o b se rv a tio n w e n t it
was co n firmed , th a t th e r e a re c e rta in k in d s o f th e s e h e rm its , wh ich always
use c e rta in k in d s o n ly o f o ld shells.
From f.lic many ric.st.s and .smell of the afrnosptiere, f.liis
niiglit be called a sca-rookery. 'I’hc gannet.s, .sitting on their
rude nests, look at an intruder witii a stujiid, yet angry air.
Tlic noddies, as tlieir name exjiresses, arc silly little creatures.
But there is one charming bird ; it is a small and
.snow-white tern, which smoothly hovers at the distance of
an arm’s length from your head; its large black eye scanning
with quiet curiosity your expression. Little imagination is
required to fancy, that so light and delicate a body must be
tenanted liy some wandering fairy spirit.
S ijN'jiAy, A f k i l . io .— A f te r s e rv ic e I a c c om p a n ie d C a p ta in
F it zR o y to th e s e tt lem e n t, s itu a te d a t th e d is ta n c e o f som e
mile.s, o n a p o in t th ic k ly s c a tte r e d o v e r w ith ta ll c o c o a -n u t
tr e e s . C a p ta in R o s s a n d M r . L ie s k liv e in a la rg e b a rn lik
e h o u s e o p e n a t b o th e n d s , a n d lin e d w ith m a ts m a d e o f
w o v e n b a rk . T h e h o u s e s o f th e M a la y s a re a r ra n g e d a lo n g
th e s h o re o f th e la g o o n . T h e w h o le p la c e h a d r a th e r a
d e so la te a s p e c t, b e c a u s e th e r e w e re n o g a rd e n s to sh ow th e
s ig n s o f c a re a n d c u ltiv a tio n . T h e n a tiv e s b e lo n g to d iff
e r e n t is la n d s in th e E a s t I n d ia n -Archipelago, b u t a ll s p e a k
th e s am e la n g u a g e : we saw m h a b ita n ts o f B o rn e o , C e leb e s ,
J a v a , a n d S um a tr a . I n th e c o lo u r o f th e ir s k in th e y r e s
em b le th e T a h itia n s , n o r do th e y w id e ly d iffer from th em
in fo rm o f f e a tu re s . S om e o f th e w om e n , h ow e v e r , sh ow e d
a g o o d d e a l o f th e C h in e s e c h a r a c te r. I h k e d b o th th e ir
g e n e r a l e x p r e s s io n a n d th e s o u n d o f th e i r v o ic e s. Tbiev
a p p e a r e d p o o r, a n d th e ir h o u s e s w e re d e s ti tu te o f f u r n i tu r e :
b u t i t wa s e v id e n t, from th e p lum p n e s s o f th e h t t l e c h ild re n ,
t h a t c o c o a -n u ts a n d tu r t le a ffo rd n o b a d s u s te n a n c e .
O n th is is la n d th e w e lls a re s itu a te d from w lrich s liip s
o b ta in w a te r . A t fir s t s ig h t i t a p p e a r s n o t a h t t l e r em a rk a
b le th a t th e fre sh w a te r s h o u ld r e g u la r ly e b b a n d flow w ith
th e u s u a l tide.=t= W e m u s t b e lie v e th a t th e c om p re s s e d s a n d
* T h e s e e b b in g a n d flow in g wells a re c om m o n iu p a rts o f th e IVest
In d ie s . T ile s im p le fac t, th a t in low islan d s o f sm a ll e x te n t, a n d comp
o s ed o t p o ro u s m ate ria ls , th e ra in -w a te r c an h a v e n o te n d e n c v to sin k
low e r th a n th e lev e l o f th e s iir ro u n d in g sea, a n d m u st th e r e fo r e a c c um u la te
VOL. in . o X
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