130 THE COUNTEY. 



and parrakeets^ besides thrushes^ orioles^ leather- 

 heads^ &C.J but I shall not now enter upon the 

 ornithology of the district. A very larg"e lizard 

 {Monitor Gouldii) is common at Cape York^ — it 

 climbs trees with g-reat agility^ and is very swift^ 

 scampering^ over the dead leaves in the scrubs^ with 

 nearly as much noise as a kang-aroo. Snakes^ 

 althoug'h apparentl}-^ not very plentiful^ yet require to 

 be carefully looked for in order to be avoided ; one 

 day I killed single individuals of two kinds^ — one a 

 slender^ very active g'reen whip-snake^ four feet in 

 leng'th^ — the other^ the brown snake of New South 

 Wales^ where its bite is considered fatal. Fish are 

 plentiful at Cape York ; they may be caug^ht with the 

 hook and line from the rocks^ or at a little distance 

 off, and the sandy beach of Evans' Bay is well- 

 adapted for hauling* the seine upon, A curious 

 fresh- water fish (iir<?^«/6>/;.s setipinnis) is found in the 

 lag'oon here^ and even in the wells dug* by the Fly^ 

 there were some full g-rown individuals , it much 

 resembles the herring*^ in shape^ colour^ and size. 

 The shells may be very briefly dismissed. The 

 principal landshell is a very large variety of Helix 

 hipartita, here attaining* its g-reatest size. The most 

 striking- shell of the sand-flats is a handsome olive 

 {0, ispidula)^ remarkable for its extraordinary varia- 

 tions in colour^ size, and even form. 



In viewing* Cape York as the probable site of a 

 future settlement or military post^ an important 

 feature to be noticed is the comparative abundance 



