464 TAHITI, 



teridiv, on the other hand, although some species occur in 

 quite shallow water on reefs, range also to great depths, some 

 species having been dredged by the "Challenger " from 1,500 

 fathoms. Specimens of six genera of Stylasteridcv. were fished 

 up at one haul of the trawl, from 600 fathoms, off the mouth 

 of the Rio de la Plata, and it was from these specimens that 

 the details of the structure of the family were made out, and 

 the Styhisteridic determined to be Hydrozoa. 



I have given an account of the Stylasteridce in this place, 

 because any description of them must necessarily follow that 

 of the Milkporidce* In having in each colony, polyps of 

 several kinds, and of separate functions, with a regular system 

 of division of labour, the Hydrocorallina. resemble the Siphono- 

 phora Hydroids which form similar colonies, which are free- 

 swimming at the ocean surface, instead of fixed to the bottom 

 like the corals. 



To return to Tahiti : — The ground just above the shore 

 near Papeete is everywhere burrowed by large Land Crabs. 

 The Crabs are difficult to catch ; never, in the daytime at 

 least, going far from their holes, but watching a passer-by from 

 near the mouths of their retreats, and bolting in if suspicious 

 of danger, like rabbits. An old marine, whose name was 

 Leary, who acted as my constant assistant in collecting on 

 shore, invented a plan by which he caught some of the largest 

 and oldest of the crabs. He tied a bit of meat on the end of 

 a string, fastened to a fishing-rod, and by dragging the meat 

 slowly enticed the Crabs from their holes, and then made a 

 dash forward and put his foot in the hole, and so caught them. 

 The largest Crabs were far more difficult to catch than the 

 younger ones. 



It is curious how little animals seem to be frightened by 

 a long wand like a fishing-rod. I have seen Mr. Thwaites in 

 Ceylon put a noose of Palm Fibre, fastened at the tip of a rod 

 of this kind, over the heads of numbers of Lizards, and carry 

 them off thus sniggled to put them into spirit for Dr. Giinther. 

 The Lizards sat quite quietly to receive the noose, though if 

 we had moved a foot nearer to them they would have run off 

 at once. Snakes and Lizards are nearly all caught in this 

 manner in the Peradeniya Gardens. 



We got up anchor and steamed out of Papeete Harbour to 

 the time of the Tahitian National Air, a quick and lively jig 



* For a detailed account of the structure of the Stylasteridae, see 

 H. N. Moseley, "Preliminary Note on the Structure of the Stylasteridae." 

 Proc. Roy.'^Soc, No. 172, 1876, p. 93. Also, "On the Structure of the 

 Stylasteridse, a Family of Hydroid Stony Corals." The Croonian Lecture. 

 Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. 1S78. 



