46 CAl'E VERDE. 



A large hammer-headed shark {Zygivna malleus), about 12 feet 

 long, was also netted, and put an end to the net fishing for 

 some time by tearing the net to pieces. 



We left St. Vincent on August 15th. I went on that day 

 with Captain Nares on a boat excursion to collect corals in a 

 small bay with a westerly aspect, not far from Porto Grande. 

 On our way we passed under a rocky mountain, 1,594 feet in 

 height, which has an outline remarkably like that of a man ; 

 the nose, mouth, and chin are well marked, and the entire 

 range in connection looks like a giant lying on his back. 



The small bay we visited was bounded by steep cliffs. On 

 the rocks beneath was the usual zone of calcareous seaweeds. 

 A coral {Ccvnopsa/mnia Ehrenbergiana), composed of bundles 

 of delicate tubes fused together side by side, covered the rocks 

 profusely just below tide level, forming bright vermilion and 

 bright yellow masses, which showed out conspicuously as the 

 swell fell now and then and exposed the rock surface lower 

 down than usual. The coral appears to vary in colour in an 

 irregular manner, some clusters of the coral being red, with 

 the excei)tion of one or two tubes at one corner of the mass, 

 which were yellow, and I saw a young yellow bud given off 

 from a red parent tube. Some masses were entirely yellow, and 

 in some places only yellow corals were to be seen, but on the 

 whole the red predominated. 



At the north point at the mouth of the bay was a regular 

 fishing station, where two young Africans were fishing, and 

 where the whole rock was reeking of dead and decaying fish, 

 and a small cave was full of debris, having evidently been made 

 use of by fishermen for many years. 



The two young negroes at first occupied themselves in 

 catching small fish with a short bamboo rod, baiting with 

 pounded fish, and catching various little rock fish and a Scarjis. 

 They then began pounding and breaking up the small fish and 

 throwing largish pieces of the mass into the verge of the surf 

 off the point to attract large fish. 



They watched until they saw a large fish taking these bai^.s 

 on the top of the water, and then they threw a bait on a hook 

 attached to a long cod line. They thus caught a large Cavalli 

 {Caranx), of the mackerel tribe, which they had to play for 

 some time and finish with a spear. Large Garfish \Belone) 

 sometimes came within reach, and were easily caught, being 

 very ravenous. 



One fish, a kind of Bonito or tunny {Thynnus argentivittatus), 

 of about 25 lbs. in weight, was attracted by the baits, and 

 coming close in swam backwards and forwards in front of the 

 stand on the rock, taking every Ijait thrown on to the top of 



