ST. VINCENT, CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. 51 



I found a chasm in the cliff where it was possible to descend. 

 At about 200 feet from the bottom of the cliff, where the 

 stratified volcanic rock was intersected in all directions by dikes, 

 was a very small spring, from which issued perhaps a quarter of 

 a pint of water in an hour. It was the only natural spring I 

 saw in the islands, although a few others exist. There was 

 green slimy matter round the spring composed of diatoms and 

 other low algse, and a small mass of vegetable mould, in which 

 grew two plants which I had not met with elsewhere in the 

 island, a yellow flowered crucifer (Sinapidendron Vogelli) and 

 Samolus Valerandi. 



This miniature oasis was only about four feet in circumference, 

 and absorbed the whole of the w^ater yielded by the scanty 

 spring. A number of wood-lice sheltered in it. I suppose the 

 seeds of these two plants must have been carried to the spring 

 by birds coming to drink. 



On returning to the town down the leeward slopes, I passed 

 the principal wells of the town ; they are dug in a now dry 

 stream bed, and are about 15 feet in diameter, and 25 to 30 feet 

 in depth. There was plenty of water in them, but it was 

 slightly brackish, and probably partly derived from the sea. 



The trammel net was set nightly in the harbour by Mr. Cox, 

 the boatswain, and yielded some fine fish ; amongst these were 

 some large flying gurnets which evidently, from their being- 

 caught in the trammel, frequent the bottom a good deal like our 

 wingless gurnets. One was caught with a line at the bottom. 

 I hooked one, however, near the surface, when fishing with a rod 

 and trout tackle for small mackerel and silver fish. This was 

 quite a novel experience in fishing. The flying fish darted about 

 like a trout and then took a good long fly in the air, and in an 

 instant was down in the water again and out again into the air, 

 and being beyond my skill in playing with such light tackle, 

 soon shook itself loose and got free. 



A species of Balistes, called the trigger-fish, because it has a 

 stout trigger-like spine on the back and the belly, which can be 

 erected as a defence, was caught in the net. The living fish when 

 held in the hand makes a curious metallic clicking noise by 

 grating its teeth ; similarly Diodon antcnnatus makes a curious 



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