162 PERCY SLADEN TRUST EXPEDITION. 
(2993 feet), Mt. Harrison (2257 feet), and Mt. Sebert (1803 feet). Chateau Margot, 
where H.E. the Governor has a country residence, proved an excellent collecting-station, 
yielding among other animals a land-Nemertean (see p. 57, supra) as well as a Planarian, 
The house is situated on the watershed at 1500 feet, halfway between Morne Seychellois 
and Mt. Harrison, to both of which it has good paths. From there Gardiner went to 
Cascade, the property of Mr. H. P. Thomasset, a most accomplished naturalist and 
botanist, as well as the chief English planter in the Archipelago. He collected 
daily over Mt, Harrison and Mt. Sebert with Mr. Thomasset, whose great knowledge 
of the country and of the distribution and habits of its animals largely increased our 
collections. His knowledge also of the plants, to which he has added many new species, 
was invaluable, and we are also indebted to him for many specimens, separately 
collected, of all groups of land-animals. Particular attention was paid to the smaller 
Mollusca. Insects were, generally speaking, disappointing, the season not really being 
damp enough for them. 
Throughout our stay in the Seychelles our object in collecting land-animals was to 
obtain those which belong to the indigenous jungle of the group, rather than those | 
which live on the cultivated lower-lying lands, these seeming already sufficiently well 
known. This jungle grows on the granite, and most of its plants belong to species and 
many to genera peculiar to the Archipelago. Of most of its groups of animals we 
believe that we obtained fairly representative collections, but the insects are so difficult 
to collect in such isolated islands of the ocean that we fear we may have as yet secured 
only a small sample of them. Little of this fauna, so far as insects are concerned, 
would appear to have been known before our visit, if we may judge by Mr. Cameron’s 
account of the Hymenoptera other than ants (see pp. 69-89). Twelve species were 
known before our visit, of which we obtained 11, while we further secured 12 new 
species, one the representative of a new genus. ‘To M. de Gaye we owe many specimens, 
especially of Lepidoptera, and we have also received, since our return home, additional — 
specimens from Mr. Thomasset and Mr. Dupont*. To these two gentlemen must be 
ascribed whatever credit may be due for our collections in Mahé. Their knowledge 
enabled us to start from a plane to which otherwise we could scarcely have expected to 
attain in the time at our disposal for that island. 
The arrival of the Messageries Maritimes Mail Steamer on December 8th brought the 
fieldwork of the Expedition for the time being to an end. ‘To others belongs the duty 
of passing judgment upon it. We are ourselves painfully conscious of its many 
shortcomings. In particular we regretted leaving the Seychelles, as we then felt that in 
endeavouring to collect its land-animals we had attempted a task quite beyond the time 
at our disposal there. However, we still hope that we may be enabled to secure more 
complete collections from that group before we address ourselves to the necessary task 
oi working out its affinities to other lands. 
* These gentlemen haye also visited Aldabra, from which they have also sent us specimens. 
el 
