TURTLE ISLANDS. 179 



white coral; the northern is about half a mile across, 

 of the same formation precisely as the low isles of 

 Forestier Group. It is fronted on all sides with a 

 coral reef extendincj off from a mile to a mile and 

 a half, which dries at low water, leaving an abrupt 

 wall of from two to three feet at the outer edge, with 

 pools between it and the island, in which several 

 luckless turtles, who had deferred leaving until too 

 late, were found. Though we only took what was 

 required for our own consumption, the number that 

 could have been here obtained was enormous. 



In the course of four hours thirty green turtle 

 were brought on board, one of which, and not the 

 largest, weighed 385 pounds. A small hawk's bill, 

 the first and only one seen, was also taken. On this 

 part of the coast grows a peculiar small kind of 

 weed, on which they feed ; it was first seen near 

 Depuch Island. I have been informed that the 

 turtle at Ascension Island, when fresh caught, have a 

 large ball of a cui'ious kind of weed in their stomach, 

 and that as soon as it is consumed, they become 

 watery and lose their flavour. Though many dili- 

 gent inquiries have been made after this weed, it 

 appears to be still unknown. 



A sand-hill on the south-east end of the North 

 Isle our observations placed in lat. 19" 53' 48'^ S., 

 and long. 3" 09' 10" E. of Swan River; variation 

 1° 0' westerly. The tide ran between the island 

 and the shore nearly two knots an hour ; the flood 

 stream came from the north-west ; and the rise at 



N 2 



