BY THE EEV. J. E. TENISON-WOODS, F.G.S., F.L.S., ETC. 119 



JEgiceras majus ; this is different from the mangrove vegetation 

 of the southern j^arts of Australia, where the growth is principally 

 Amcennia tomentosa. Those who have never seen a true mangrove 

 scrub can have no idea of how thickly it covers the banks of a 

 stream with its narrow roots. The seed, as is well-known, 

 germinates upon the branches ere the flower falls. The fruit 

 enlarges until it becomes a long, pendulous, slender, green branch, 

 often 10 to 20 feet long swaying in the wind until it roots in the 

 mud beneath. The mud banks as they are uncovered by the tide 

 present a most peculiar appearance. It is a close net work of 

 light-brown stems, usually not thicker than an inch in diameter, 

 and rooting in the mud in all directions. There are no thick 

 stems amongst them. Only here and there a close thicket of 

 young, straight shoots of ^giceras majiis, spring up amid the 

 mud. 



The first thing that one notices in the mangrove at Port 

 Douglas is the abundance of a crustacean, Gelasimus coarctatus, 

 M.-Edw. It makes its nest in the mud by the side of a mangrove 

 root. This retreat is a mere round hole which the crab digs out 

 by the aid of his large, disproportionate claw. I have watched 

 these little animals with great interest. They come out when the 

 tide is low, moving very stealthily and with their large claw 

 folded up under them. They feed on some animaculee in the 

 mud, but I could not ascertain what was the nature of this food. 

 The smallest movement causes them to start back to their holes. 

 If they are not molested they continue feeding until the tide 

 begins to rise ; then they go back to their retreats, and shovelling 

 up a great mass of mud with the large claw, they draw it after 

 them as they go in, completely closing up the hole so that a careful 

 examination will not enable one to discover it. They are beautiful 

 objects when living. The claw is a bright orange-color, paler 

 towards the tip, but this tint fades rapidly after death. 



Next after these crabs, I know of no object more interesting 

 than the ''hopping fishes" as they are called. This is the 



