IDS :>^R. JO Fix HEWITT 



the head is not so broad, and it lacks the brick-red 

 colours that are invariably associated with Grahamstown 

 specimens when adult. 



A little gecko also occurs at St. Croix, but iiS not 

 abundant. It belongs to a species {Pachydactylus 

 maculatus) which occurs commonly imder stones neau 

 Grahamstown and throughout the coastal districts of 

 the Cape. 



A more familiar creature was captured in the act of 

 raiding our stores. This was a House-mouse. I have 

 carefully compared specimens with the skins of Grahams- 

 town mice, and am satisfied that they belong to a dis- 

 tinct race. The St. Croix house-mouse is a darker 

 animal, having the upper surface of the tail almost 

 black, though several of its toes are almost pure white. 

 It probably belongs to a foreign variety introduced in 

 shipping. Edward Walker and myself observed speci 

 mens apparently of the same creature far away amongst 

 the haunts of the cormorants. It is thus quite wild on 

 St. Croix. I may add that tlie house-mouse in Grahams- 

 town does not run wihl: I have trapped for rats and 

 mice on the adjacent veld, and have often taken the 

 domestic rat but never the house-mouse. The severe 

 competition of the African veld is too much for this 

 prolific pest of towns. 



Bats are said to occur in tlie big cave, but none were 

 seen by us, though wc searched for them. 



^fr. Walker and his son devoted their leisure hours 

 to the fish fauna, and it is gratifying to be able to record 

 that the specimens caught were utilised to the last cubic 

 inch. I fiist carefully removed the skin of each specimen 

 for preservation in the Albany Museum, and afterwards 

 the flesh l)ecame available for the cooking pot or for 

 bait. 



The evening captures were mostly dogfish or small 

 sharks of two kinds — the larger fellow with longitudinal 

 stripes known as Lui-haai (^cylUorhimis africanus), and 



