Marine Zoology — Birds of Port Darwi?i. 207 



thick coating of slimy mud, and were consequently not favourable 

 to marine life. With the dredge I was more successful. About 

 the centre of the harbour, in eleven fathoms, the bottom is ot 

 sand, and here the fauna is abundant. Of Polyzoa I obtained 

 representatives of several genera, including Retepora, Eschara, 

 Crisia, Idmonea, Cellepora, and Lepralia ; among Crustaceans the 

 genera HTym, Phlyxia^ Hiastemis, and Lambris afforded many 

 specimens. Many silicious Sponges were also found ; among 

 Shells, Murex and Ranel'a were the principal genera observed ; 

 and in hauling the dredge over some muddy ground I got a 

 Virgularia about eight inches long. 



The commonest bird about the settlement was a brown kite 

 {Haliastnr sp. .''), which hovered about the refuse heaps on the look- 

 out for garbage, or, perched on the leafless branch of some dying 

 tree, remained huddled up in a lazy and unconcerned attitude, taking 

 no more notice of passers-by than do the hideous Turkey-buzzards 

 which act as scavengers in the towns of Central America. Our 

 ship was all day long surrounded by a flock of these kites, who 

 occupied themselves in picking up with their talons the morsels of 

 food which from time to time were, amid other refuse, cast over- 

 board. The thinly-wooded hollows in the immediate vicinity of 

 the settlement were thronged with numbers of a black and white 

 Grallina {Grallina picatd) of about the size of a magpie, which, on 

 being disturbed, rose from the ground in flocks to perch on the 

 lower branches of the gum trees, and in company with them I 

 saw many examples of the Drongo {Chibia bracteata). Amidst 

 the foliage of the low bushes, a large black Shrike was frequently 

 seen, also a Zosterops, a fly-catcher {PiezorhyncJnts nitid^ts), and 

 examples of a small finch-like bird {Donacola castancothovax). 

 The latter were congregated in dense flocks, which shifted 

 frequently from tree to tree, making a loud whirring noise with 

 the rapid vibrations of so many tiny wings. When walking through 

 the short grass, numbers of small ground doves {Geopelia placidd) 

 would start up from almost under one's feet, and alight again on 



