392 cook's voyage to july, 



the other insects are some beautiful moths ; butter- 

 flies ; very large spiders ; and others ; making in 

 the whole, about fifty different sorts. 



" The sea abounds with fish, though the variety is 

 less than might be expected. The most frequent 

 sorts are mullets ; several sorts of parrot-fish ; silver 

 fish ; old wives -, some beautifully spotted soles ; 

 leather jackets ; bonnetos ; and albicores ; besides 

 the eels mentioned at Palmerston's Island ; some 

 sharks ; rays ; pipe-fish - 7 a sort of pike ; and some 

 curious devil-fish. 



" The many reefs and shoals on the north side of 

 the island, afford shelter for an endless variety of 

 shell-fish ; amongst which are many that are es- 

 teemed precious in Europe. Such as the true 

 hammer oyster ; of which, however, none could be 

 obtained entire ; a large indentated oyster ; and 

 several others, but none of the common sort ; 

 panamas ; cones ; a sort of gigantic cockle, found 

 also in the East Indies ; pearl shell oysters, and 

 many others ; several of which I believe, have 

 been hitherto unknown to the most diligent in- 

 quirers after that branch of natural history. There 

 are likewise, several sorts of sea-eggs ; and many 

 very fine star-fish ; besides a considerable variety 

 of corals ; amongst which are two red sorts, the 

 one most elegantly branched, the other tubulous. 

 And there is no less variety amongst the crabs and 

 cray fish, which are very numerous. To which 

 may be added, several sorts of sponge ; the sea hare, 

 holothuriw, and the like." 



