72 FERNANDO NORONJiA. 



doves nesting together with these two sea birds on the same 

 ledges and with their nests intermingled with theirs. The 

 utmost harmony seemed to prevail on the breeding ground. 

 A similar association of land and sea birds occurs in Great 

 Britain. In caves on the coast of Harris, in the Hebrides, 

 starlings and rock pigeons nest together with cormorants.* 



Progression on Rat Island is by no means pleasant. The 

 calcareous sand rock of which the island is composed, is, as 

 has been before described, weathered on the surface in the 

 same curious manner as at Bermuda. The surface is here so 

 deeply excavated by pluvial action as to leave projecting a 

 series of sharp-edged honeycombed pinnacles, often two feet in 

 height, and separated from one another by intervening jagged 

 holes and crevices. Into these, as they are in many places 

 overgrown by creepers, one's foot and leg readily slip and may 

 easily get badly bruised and cut ; whilst in putting out one's 

 hand to save a fall it is not at all improbable that one lays hold 

 of a vigorous plant of Jatropha urens, which can show no 

 quarter even if it had the will. 



A small Gar-fish {Belone) was caught in abundance at the 

 foot of St. Michael's Mount. A Grapsus {G. strigosi/s), the 

 same species as that at St. Paul's Rocks, occurred on the shore 

 rocks, but as far as I saw. Land-crabs and Sand-crabs {Ocypoda) 

 are absent from Fernando Noronha. 



Two lizards occur in the islands, which are South American 

 in their affinities, f One, Ihysanodadylus bilineatus, is one of 

 the Igiianidce. The genus is distinguished by a scaly projec- 

 tion on the outer side of the hinder toes. The species occurs 

 also in South America. We did not meet with this lizard, 

 which was obtained in the island by the officers of H. M. S. 

 " Chanticleer." 



The other lizard, Euprepes pimdatus, belongs to the Scin- 

 cida'. The species is peculiar to Fernando Noronha, its 

 nearest ally, E. ?nac!i/aiiis, inhabiting Demerara. This lizard 

 is very abundant on the main island, and especially so on 

 St. Michael's Mount, where it is remarkably tame. Some 

 specimens are more than a foot in length. I did not see the 

 Gecko mentioned by Webster. 



I could find no fern on any of the islands, nor any moss or 

 Liver-wort. These may, however, no doubt occur on the 

 moister parts of the main island. Fernando Noronha is in 

 its fauna and flora closely allied to South America. It has, 

 however, a peculiar species of fig and a peculiar lizard. Possi- 

 bly amongst the three land birds noted, other than the dove, 



* Macgillivray, "British Water Birds," Vol. II., p. 397. 

 f Gray, "British Museum Catalogue of Lizards," p. 193. 



