SHELLS. 213 



A small fire-fly (a species of Lampyris) is plentiful, 

 showing- out at nig-ht like a twinkling- phosphorescent 

 spark, slowly flitting- about from tree to tree or 

 resting- on the leaves wet with dew. Nor must I 

 omit a very splendid day-flying- moth (Cocytia 

 D^ Urvillei) which is common on the skirts of the 

 woods and thickets ; several even came on board the 

 ship at various times. 



Very few fish were caug-ht at this anchorage, but 

 on the mud-flat at the mouth of the creek, shoals of 

 mullet and ^^ g-uard-fish" were seen daily. In the 

 fresh water I observed several small species of 

 Cyprinidae rising- at flies, but, not being- provided 

 with the requisite tackle, none were caught. 



The muddy mangrove-covered banks of the lower 

 part of the creek furnished the collection Avith an 

 Auricula and a very fine Cyrenay apparently the 

 same as the Australian and New Guinea C, Cy- 

 jprinoides. Many fresh-water shells were found in 

 the neighbourhood of the watering-place — three 

 kinds of Melania, a Mytilus^ a Namcella^ and five 

 species of Neritina — but most of these have been 

 already described as inhabitants of the Feejee 

 Islands and other places in Polynesia, and else- 

 where. One might reasonably have anticipated a 

 rich harvest of land-shells in the damp forests of 

 South-east Island, yet diligent search on the trunks 

 of the trees and among- the dead leaves about their 

 roots produced only four species, all of which 

 however are new. The finest of these is a Pupina^ 



