68 Concei'iimg Soittli Sea Islands iv 



No letter has been found containing a description 

 of Norfolk Island, but in one of his articles he refers 

 to ' that strange trio of rocks away in the open sea 

 which we include in the name of Norfolk Island. 

 On one of these rocks the fleas, left by the convicts 



his perambulating fislaes to Englisli forms. For myself, I can distinctly 

 say, No ! I never did meet an eel walking about on the wet grass at 

 any hour of the day or night, and I have been about in all of them. 

 Still, from what I have seen elvers do in the way of ascending posts 

 and lock-work generally, I should not feel my own pulse if I met any 

 number of eels, little or big, in the gloaming. On the other hand, 

 were I to meet dace, pike, or jack under similar circumstances, I 

 should immediately recognise him as a ' subjective ' fish, and hurry to 

 the nearest respectable practitioner and beg to be properly treated. 

 Of course, if you go to other parts of the world (by the way, have any of 

 your correspondents seen our old friend Anabas scaiidens walking up the 

 stem of a palm-tree lately ?), you may find fishes walking about the shore 

 on their pectorals, and even, I believe, taking considerable cruises inland ; 

 and not only that, but running up and down trees "like Christians," as 

 the sailors say. Curiously enough, whenever I mention these facts in 

 the smoking -cabins of big steamers, people glare and hint at the 

 presentation of " kettles." I have always remarked that those who are 

 given to the most reckless " embroidery " are those who are the first to 

 repudiate some simple fact in natural history. One might quote here 

 the old story of the " auld wifie " and the flying-fish, but 'tis somewhat 

 stale. 



* We learnt to know the cheery little Periophthalmi (I suppose they 

 belonged to that genus) down in the South Seas, — New Caledonia, if I 

 remember right, — where they swarmed. They lived in great amity 

 with the scarlet calling-crabs {Gelasimus, sp. ?), and they seemed to be 

 on excellent terms. Curious it was to see how the fishlets used to 

 scud over the hardening mud, and bolt past the owner and excavator 

 of the hole, who sat solemnly at the door of his sanctum, waving his 

 big claw majestically in the air, as if he were giving three cheers for 

 something or somebody, and ever and anon picking something off it 

 with his smaller claw and putting it into his mouth. What they 

 picked off I never could make out, but these cheerings and gesticula- 

 tions were evidently of some use to them, which I believe obtains also 



