Chap, xiv.] SAVAGE WEAPONS AT CAPE YORK. 3II 



beaches made up of calcareous sand, that it appears quite a 

 novel feature when one meets again with siliceous sand, to 

 which only we are accustomed in Europe. The sandy beach 

 slopes down, to end abruptly on a nearly horizontal mud flat, 

 bare at low water, which is mainly calcareous, and in fact a 

 shore platform reef, but with few living corals on it. At low 

 water, during spring tides, blocks of dead massive corals, such 

 as Asti-ceidce, are seen to compose the verge of these mud flats, 

 and it is from the detritus of these that the mud is formed. 

 Amongst these blocks are but few living corals, a species of 

 Euphyllia, small Asfncas, and cup or mushroom-shaped 

 Turbiimrias. 



There is a considerable variety of species of seaweeds on the 

 flats. There are also several forms of Sea-Grasses : a species 

 of Halophila, the large hairy JZiihalus, and a Thalassia grow 

 all together, and spread in abundance over the mud, which is 

 matted with their roots in many places. 



The channel between Somerset and Albany Island is shallow, 

 being nowhere more than 14 fathoms in depth. The dredge 

 here brought up a rare species of Trigonia, and the " Lancelet," 

 Amphioxus lanceolafus, which seems to have an extremely 

 wide range in distribution. The fauna on the whole was very 

 like that of Port Jackson. 



Cape York is a sort of emporium of savage weapons and 

 ornaments. Pearl shell-gathering vessels (" Pearl-shellers " as 

 they are called) come to Somerset with crews which they have 

 picked up at all the islands in the neighbourhood, from New 

 Guinea, and from all over the Pacific, and they bring weapons 

 and ornaments from all these places with them. Moreover, 

 the Murray Islanders visit the port in their canoes, and bring 

 bows and arrows, drums, and such things for barter. 



The water police stationed at Somerset deal in these curiosi- 

 ties, buying them up and selling them to passengers in the 

 passing steamers, or to other visitors. Hence all kinds of 

 savage weapons have found their way into English collections, 

 with^the label "Cape York," and the Northern Australians 

 have got credit for having learnt the use of the bow-and-arrow. 

 I believe that no Australian natives use the bow at all. 



Weapons from very remote places find their way to Cape 

 York, and thus no doubt the first specimens of Admiralty 

 Island javelins reached English museums. Accurate deter- 

 mination of locality is of course essential to the interest of 

 savage weapons. Staff'-Surgeon Maclean, of the " Challenger," 

 had\a large New Guinea drum of the Crocodile form thrust 

 upon his acceptance, as a fee for visiting a patient on board 

 one of the " Pearl-shellers " ; he gave it to me. 



