2q8 Voyage of the Novara. 



disappeared, so that these animals are very rarely seen or cap- 

 tured by the inhabitants. Even of the skeletons of these marine 

 mammals, which, when the naturalists of the Lion were roaming 

 through the island, used to lie about in such numbers that one 

 could almost walk upon bones all round the crater, not a vestige 

 is left, and one can hardly realize that formerly hundreds of 

 thousands of these animals were slaughtered at this island. 



Almost all the quadrupeds of the island are domestic animals 

 that have been brought hither from Europe and the French 

 colonies — such as swine, goats, cats, rabbits — which at present 

 live here in a wild state. The goats, which were first introduced 

 in 184-4, are most numerous on the N. W. of the island ; the swine, 

 on the contrary, are not so frequently met with. During our 

 residence, a boar and a wild cat were killed ; a few days after, 

 the five young of the cat were found, having been compelled 

 to emerge from their lair in search of food. A female hare, 

 which we had brought from Cape Town, was also set free on 

 the island, and it was fortunate for the propagation of these 

 useful animals that there was already a male hare on the island. 

 A pair of geese was also presented to the colonists, which 

 perhaps have continued to breed there. 



As we thought the island was uninhabited, it was orioinallv 

 our intention to leave several kinds of domestic animals of 

 different sexes with a view to propagation; and with that object, 

 when at Cape Town had made various purchases of useful 

 animals; but, under the circumstances, we relinquished this 

 intention, as there seemed but little chance of their being 



