68 FERNANDO NORONHA. 



There is a dry and a rainy season on the islands. The rainy 

 season is from January to July, and the dry from July to 

 December. In the dry season there is occasionally want of 

 water, but it often falls heavily during this season, as it did 

 during our stay, on September 2nd. 



Fernando Noronha is used by the Brazilians as a convict 

 settlement. Close to the base of the Peak is the citadel or 

 small fort, on which the Brazilian flag was seen flying as we 

 approached the shore, and beneath this are the convict build- 

 ings, a group of low huts, with the governor's house, a small 

 church, and a long low building in which some of the convicts 

 are locked up at night. Farther to the eastward on some low- 

 lying land close to the beach is an old ruined fort, off" which 

 we anchored at about 4 p.m. 



Captain Nares landed at once and paid a visit to the governor 

 of the island to ask permission for our parties to land and 

 explore, and I availed myself of permission to follow him on 

 shore and hear the result of the interview. The surf was heavy 

 on the sandy beach ; one of our boats was upset in it, and I 

 got a sea round me in landing, up to my neck. 



I found the littoral blue-flowered convolvulus {Ipoiinva pes 

 caprcv), so common in the West Indies and Cape Verde Islands, 

 abundant on the shore. It was beset by a Dodder {Cuscuta), 

 which parasite was seen twining round it everywhere in masses. 



A horrible pest, a stinging plant, Jatropha urens, one of the 

 Eiiphorbiacecc, was very common. The plant has a thick green 

 stem, and leaves resembling those of our common garden gera- 

 niums in shape, and a small white flower. The plant is covered 

 with fine sharp white bristles, which sting most abominably. 

 I lassoed a specimen with my knife-lanyard and kicked it up 

 by the roots, and carried it on board carefully slung on a stick, 

 but I got stung as I was putting it in paper to dry, though 

 handling it with forceps, and the stinging sensation lasted for 

 more than two days. The pain is like that produced by the 

 nettle, but far more intense. 



The path to the settlement led through the woods. The 

 ground was covered with innumerable large black crickets 

 \Gryllus). These are most astonishingly abundant, especially 

 around the cultivated fields. The woods were also full of 

 flocks of reddish brown doves {Feristera Geoffroyi), a species 

 which occurs in Brazil, and has possibly been introduced into 

 the island. They are in vast numbers, and, being scarcely 

 ever shot at, are so tame that we had to throw stones at them 

 to make them take wing. Many of them had nests and eggs, 

 and they probably breed all the year round. 



I saw also a small warbler {Sylvia), with greenish brown 



