316 Miscellaneous, 



Notice of the Natural History of St. Kitts. 

 By the late J. R. Elsey, jun., Esq. 



To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, — T received the enclosed account of St. Kitts from my 

 late friend Mr. J. R. Elsey, who, on his return from the arduous 

 North Australian Expedition, was obliged to go to St. Kitts for the 

 recovery of his health. He there very shortly fell a victim to fever. 



Yours truly, 



J. E. Gray. 



"St. Kitts, Nov. 29, 1857. 

 " I have now been in the island a week, and am able to give you 

 some little account of it. The hills and small table-land abound 

 with very fine land-shells. These parts are rarely visited, and I 

 know of no one who has been up Mount Misery, or collected in the 

 hills. About 2000 feet up among the hills is a very singular table- 

 land, well watered : this is, I expect, a rich field. At the south, 

 limestone and chalk are said to exist. If so, they will create a variety. 

 On the leeward side of the island, near the town, there is a coarse 

 sandy beach ; about half a mile south of it, the terras, as it is called, 

 underlying the surface-soil, runs down to the water, forming a low 

 cliff, with a shallow ledge and broken rocks under it. This is a fine 

 spot for all sorts of Actiniae, Echini, Star-fishes, Nereids, Nudi- 

 branchs : these are singularly beautiful. I have a small aquarium 

 with some of these in it, doing very well. I should like to know 

 something of the Nudibranchs. On the opposite windward side, a 

 low reef (coral ?) runs along the shore at some 50 yards distant. 

 "Within is a smooth pool of water, from 1 to 5 feet deep, with ledges 

 of rock, forming a glorious field for examination ; outside it deepens 

 rapidly. There are also large still ponds of salt water ; these are 

 not very healthy, but will doubtless be worth dredging." 



"Dec. 14, 1857. 



" I forward you this day a small parcel containing Lepidoptera ; 

 one box with them fixed in position, the other with them wrapped 

 up flat in pieces of paper. 



" A box of 27 species of sea-shells. 



"A box containing shells from terras, or beds of recent (present ?) 

 formation, forming the subsoil from the shore to the foot of the hills. 



" As regards Lepidoptera, I am anxious to know in which way they 

 travel best. The weather has been too wet to get any night-moths ; 

 but when I move from this spot, as I shall soon, for a week or two, 

 I hope to make a more interesting collection. 



" I am preparing at my leisure the lingual ribbons of all the Mol- 

 lusca I can lay my hands on, and am anxious to know their correct 

 names. 



" I hope to send to you shortly good specimens (2 feet square) of 

 the terras ; it contains, I think, both land- and sea-shells, — Area, 

 Nerita, Lymneal 



