ST. HELENA 133 



250 fathoms, while in many places it is such that no sound- 

 ings can be obtained. Along the coast are many caves, 

 some high above the water-mark, others below, so that the 

 sea penetrates far into the base of the island. In these 

 holes or caves the air is so strongly compressed by the inrush 

 of water that wherever there is a crack or outlet in the rock 

 the water emerges in a strong jet or fountain, similar in 

 appearance to the spoutings of a whale. In many cases 

 these spouts of water are near the sea-level, in others they 

 appear on the face of the cliff sixty or seventy feet above ; 

 this is the case near Egg Island. 



Several islands lie near the coast, but none of any size. 

 Egg Island, Sperie and George Island being the largest. 

 Guano is collected from these and from the cliffs, and was 

 formerly exported ; of late years the constant employment 

 of the labouring class by the Government as mule-dri\'ers, 

 messengers, etc., has caused the collection of this to be 

 neglected. Of fish it is computed that seventy-six species 

 frequent the coast. These are : — 



The whale, groundshark, shovel-nosed shark, dog shark, 

 mackerel, sunfish, albicore, porpoise, bottle-nosed porpoise, 

 white conger, red conger, speckled conger, green conger, 

 yellowtail, cavalli, coal fish, stone bras, beard, striped, 

 shrimp, cunning fish, flying fish, trooper, two kinds of green 

 fish, old wife, silver fish, five fingers, gurnet, three sorts of 

 mullet, three sorts of bull's eyes, two kinds of jacks, pilot 

 cavalli, bonita, dolphin, pilot, soldier, baracoota, pike, 

 serpent, parrot, turtle, sword, thrasher, kingson, sandspear, 

 rockfish, trumpet, sole, cat-fish, flying cat-fish, sucking, 

 lantern-fish, bottle-fish, two kinds of hog-fish, cod, devil, 

 lathercoat, bream, snake, flounder, two kinds of eels, cray- 

 fish, rock oyster. 



The albicore (which in the Mediterranean is called the 

 tunny, and in which great trade is done) can be caught 

 plentifully all the year round. The bonita is also very 

 abundant. Conger-eels abound and salt well. 



It is said that the livers of mackerel yield a valuable 

 oil which is worth £12 per ton. 



Sharks come so close to the shores that they prevent much 

 sea-bathing. These, if caught, might be a constant source 

 of considerable profit, and fisheries have been established 



