— 121 — 



Islands, Gunner's Quoin etc., to be descended from common 

 ancestors with that of Mauritius, thus tending to support the 

 idea which the Fauna will be found to render probable, that 

 the whole of the isles named, are fragments of some vast 

 submerged continent, which at no very remote era in geolo- 

 gical time, united them with Madagascar and Seychelles ou 

 the one hand, and Rodrigues, or very possibly at an earlier 

 period still, with both the Malay Archipelago and Australia, 

 on the other. 



FAUNA. 



I now approach the consideration of the Pauna, in the elu- 

 cidation of the most difficult portion of which I have derived, 

 I am glad to take this opportunity of stating, the greatest 

 assistance from Col. Pike, who has made the Insects of Mau- 

 ritius and Bourbon one among the many departments of 2Sa- 

 tural History which he has studied. Mr Bouton likewise 

 has kindly aided by furnishing me with all the informations 

 as to the Eeptiles which the books of the Society's Library 

 and the records of the Museum afforded. In dealing with 

 this part of my subject, it will I think be more convenient to 

 invert the order in which I proceeded with the plants, and, 

 beginning with the higher organisms, descend to the lower. 

 The former may be dismissed with a very few words. No 

 mammals are proper to the Islet, but Goats and Rabbits were 

 introduced by the late Mr. Corby and have multiplied ex- 

 ceedi(igly. They have become indeed in one sense a nuisance, 

 being very injurious to the trees on which from the scarcity 

 of grass they are often forced to browse ; the curious shape 

 of the Bottle Palm enabling the Goats to climb up even to 

 the cabbage, whilst the seeds no sooner fall to the ground" 

 than they are nibbled, or, if they succeed in germinating, the 

 yeung shoots are immediately eaten down. I trust therefore 

 that Mr. Vandermeer.-ch will engage the sportsmen of his 

 acquaintance to extirpate both these kinds of animals, by no 

 means however an easy task as they are very shy. 



Of the Avifauna it is unnecessary to speak particularly, 

 after the researches of our President. It struck me as note- 

 worthy however, that the Islet should be occupied by seafowla 



