Albany Island. 193 



Albany Island from the mainland of north-east Australia, having 

 the small settlement of Somerset on our port hand, and on our 

 starboard side a pearl-shell station known as Port Albany. The 

 anchorage at Somerset being of bad repute on account of the 

 strong currents which sweep through it, we steamed on to the 

 northern extremity of Albany Island, where at about 4 o'clock in 

 the evening we dropped our anchor in six fathoms. A party of 

 officers landed at once on the shore of the mainland, and while 

 some wandered through the woods in search of birds, the boat 

 was employed in dredging over the bottom of mud and sand in 

 depths varying from three to five fathoms. Among the contents 

 of several hauls were a large number of Comatulas, a few Ophiurids, 

 several examples of a Pentaceros y a Goniocidaris^ a spider-crab ot 

 the genus " Egeria" an Alpheus, a Galathea clinging to the 

 feathered arms of a purple Comatula> and many specimens of an 

 Isopod adhering to the oral surfaces of the comatular discs. 

 There were also a few shrimps, two species of Murex> and a 

 volute. Some small fishes were also brought up — apparently a 

 species of Platycephalus. 



On the following morning some of the boats were employed in 

 searching for an uncharted rock which was reported by the 

 pearl fishermen as existing somewhere near our anchorage, while 

 Haswell and I had the use of a whaleboat for a couple of hours' 

 dredging. We worked across the channel towards the mainland 

 in eight fathoms over a bottom of mud and sand, obtaining a 

 quantity of Comatulas and Gorgonias, a large grotesque Murex, 

 several small Synaptas i and a large flat sponge. 



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