3Jj NATURAL HISTOET — EXTRACTS TKOM 



set off to sea, and are not seen again amongst the islands till Sep- 

 tember. The cock and hen sit alternately night and day ; and all 

 the labour of providing for the young is equally shared. 



There are at this date about ninety people living on the small 

 islands in " Franklin Inlet " who make a livelihood by gathering 

 the oil, feathers, and eggs of the Mutton Bird. 



Upwards of 2000 gallons of the oil are extracted from the birds 

 annually ; and although 300,000 birds are known to be destroyed 

 each year, they appear undiminished in numbers. The oil burns 

 well, and is of a bright-red colour. 



I was presented by Mr. Smith with two Paper Nautilus shells 

 {Argonauta tuberculosa) found on the shore of Flinders Island 

 this season, a circumstance which he has remarked occurs but 

 every seventh year, when many hundreds are thrown up: the 

 shells are rarely obtained perfect, as they are extremely fragile, 

 and the sea fowl pick the fish out of them. 



Our Botanic Collector, Mr. Milne, ascertained, from what he 

 obtained himself and from what we could contribute from our 

 individual visits to the islets, the existence of plants, which he 

 believes to be indigenous, belonging to the following families and 

 genera, viz. 



Amentacese. TJmbelliferae. 



Asteraceae. ^ Graminacese. 

 Bosaceae. Juncese. 



Geraniacese. Solanum. 



Euphorbiaceae. Geranium. 



Myrtaceae. 



Testing the chances of fish refreshment at this anchorage, we 

 found little encouragement for hook and line ; but the two favour- 

 ing opportunities which the weather allowed for bawling the seine 

 produced as tabulated on opposite page. 



We found the Beef Islands in this sound so abundant in rabbits 

 since Captain Stokes's forethought had set some loose upon them, 

 that, in two visits of four hours with but four guns, 100 brace were 

 brought on board. 



I took care to follow my esteemed brother officers* example and 

 the system of introducing such productions, and obtained a dozen 

 couple alive for letting loose in Shark Bay. 



[A coloured drawing of Cereopsis Nova Ilollandice accompanied 

 Captain Denham's observations.] 



