IN THE PACIFIC. 181 



and the water is so clear that we could see our 

 anchor laying on the bottom in ten fathoms. 

 The shore looked rather inviting, and I landed 



with the Doctor and C to examine it ; but 



after clambering about over cinders and decom- 

 posed lava, we were glad to take to the boat 

 again and fish. We had capital sport, and 

 caught numbers of large rock cod and other 

 beautifully-marked fish, but the sharks and dog- 

 fish were so numerous that they carried off all 

 our gear, obliging us to return on board. The 

 next day several shooting and fishing parties 

 were organized and despatched in all directions. 

 Many beautiful doves were seen, of a kind 

 peculiar to these islands, and so tame were they 

 that several might have been killed at a shot. 

 We found two sorts of iguanas, the marine 

 species and the land ; the former are most 

 repulsive-looking reptiles ; they feed almost en- 

 tirely on sea-weed, and are always to be found 

 basking on the rocks near the water; their 

 colour so closely resembles that of the black 

 scoria3 that it is very difficult to distinguish 



