1836.] THE SETTLEMENT. 439 



good. In every part one meets hermit crabs of more than one 

 species,* carrying on their backs the shells which they have stolen 

 from the neighbouring beach. Overhead, numerous gannets, 

 frigate-birds, and terns, rest on the trees ; and the wood, from the 

 many nests and from the smell of the atmosphere, might be called 

 a sea-rookery. The gannets, sitting on their rude nests, gaze at 

 one with a stupid yet angry air. The noddies, as their name 

 expresses, are silly little creatures. Bat there is one charming 

 bird : it is a small snow-white tern, which smoothly hovers at the 

 distance of a few feet above one's head, its large black eye scan- 

 ning, with quiet curiosity, your expression. Little imagination is 

 required to fancy that so light and delicate a body must be tenanted 

 by some wandering fairy spirit. 



Sunday, April 3rd. After service I accompanied Captain Fitz 

 Roy to the settlement, situated at the distance of some miles, on 

 the point of an islet thickly covered with tall cocoa-nut trees, 

 Captain Ross and Mr. Liesk live in a large barn-like house open at 

 both ends, and lined with mats made of woven bark. The houses 

 of the Malays are arranged along the shore of the lagoon. The 

 whole place had rather a desolate aspect, for there were no gardens 

 to show the signs of care and cultivation. The natives belong to 

 different islands in the East Indian archipelago, bitt all speak the 

 same language : we saw the inhabitants of Borneo, Celebes, Java, 

 and Sumatra. In colour they resemble the Tahitians, from whom 

 they do not widely differ in features. Some of the women, however, 

 show a good deal of the Chinese character. I liked both their 

 general expressions and the sound of their voices. They appeared 

 poor, and their houses were destitute of furniture; but it was 

 evident, from the plumpness of the little children, that cocoa-nuts 

 and turtle afford no bad sustenance. 



On this island the wells are situated, from which ships obtain 

 water. At first sight it appears not a little remarkable that the 

 fresh water should regularly ebb and flow with the tides ; and it 

 has even been imagined, that sand has the power of filtering the 

 salt from the sea-water. These ebbing wells are common on some 



* The large claws or pincers of some of these crabs are most beautifully 

 adapted, when drawn back, to form an operculum to the shell, nearly as 

 perfect as the proper one originally belonging to the molluscous animal. I 

 was assured, and as far as my observation went I found it so, that certain 

 species of the hermit-crabs always use certain species of shells. 



