338 THE ARCTURUS ADVENTURE 



1 species of hawkmoth 



1 species of butterfly 



1 species of beetle 



4 species of shore crabs 



8 species of shore fish 



1 species of sea turtle 



2 species of boobies 



1 species of frigatebird 



3 species of petrels 



2 species of shearwaters 



3 species of terns 

 1 species of gull 



1 species of warbler 



34 species 



So even with the scattered and imperfect ob- 

 servations which I was able to make, I could see 

 my island stocked with plants and insects, shore 

 fish, crabs, sea turtles and birds, the whole number- 

 ing over four hundred individuals. 



The earth is altering with eldritch rapidity be- 

 fore the onrush of increasing numbers and the de- 

 structiveness of mankind. The details of early 

 evolution and the clarity of priixdtive relationships 

 are daily becoming less distinct, more complex. It 

 is a wonderful thought that in addition to the 

 continued chance of deciphering the primer of 

 paleontology, and the interpretation of the body 

 and mind of the young of all animals, there is the 

 possibility of learning much from close observation 

 of beginnings, such as this stocking of an island — 

 an island, desert in the very deepest meaning of 

 the word. 



