1 84 Cruise of the "Alert" 



garden in the bed of a valley, through which ran a tiny stream ; 

 and his live stock consisted of a herd of goats and a number of 

 poultry. We understood that he intended eventually to undertake 

 regular farming operations, but that he at present merely occupied 

 the land in order to retain the "pre-emptive" right until the 

 Queensland government should be in a position to sell or let it. 

 It appeared that as yet it was not certain whether the colonial 

 government had a clear title to the group of islands, or whether — 

 being on the Great Barrier Reef, and detached from the mainland 

 by a considerable distance — it was still under the control and 

 jurisdiction of the imperial government. 



We noticed very few birds : among these were a Ptilotis, a fly- 

 catcher, a crow, and a heron ; but we were told that in the less 

 frequented parts of the island there were brush turkeys, native 

 pheasants, and black cockatoos. 



Among the rocks bordering the shore, a large white-tailed rat 

 — probably of the genus Hydromys — was said to be abundant. 

 The only other mammal recorded was a large fox-bat, a skeleton 

 of which was found hanging on a mangrove bush. 



We left our anchorage at the Percy Islands on the morning of 

 the 2nd of May, and on the forenoon of the 3rd steamed into the 

 sheltered waters of Port Molle, i.e. y into the strait which separates 

 Long Island from the main shore of Queensland ; and we finally 

 came to an anchor in a shallow bay on the west side of Long 

 Island, where we lay at a distance of about half-a-mile from the 

 shore. 



The island presented the appearance of undulating hills, covered 

 for the most part with a thick growth of tropical forms of vege- 

 tation, but exhibiting a few patches of land devoid of trees, and 

 bearing a rich crop of long tangled grasses. On landing, we 

 found that there was no soil, properly so-called, but that the 

 forest trees, scrub, and grass sprung from a surface layer of shingle, 

 which on close inspection contrasted strangely with the rich and 

 verdant flora which it nourished. Small flocks of great white 



