356 Prof. Ehrenberg on the Microscopic Life 
gun (Hudyptes chrysocoma) was remarkably abundant. With 
these widely distributed oceanic birds, there was only a single 
land-bird, a Swift (Cypselus) ; and the male appeared to be in 
attendance upon a sitting female. 
Of Fishes, a large Acanthopterygian (Cheilodactylus fasciatus), 
allied to the Umbre, constituted the principal object of the sea- 
fishery. With the hook, Thyrsites Aton and a few other forms 
were taken in the ship; and there were also Sharks. 
Of Amphibia the island showed no trace. 
Of Insects, with the exception of the introduced Clothes- 
Moth, there were no Lepidoptera; nor were there any Hymeno- 
ptera, Neuroptera, or indigenous Orthoptera. There were only 
one small ground-Beetle, two abundant Spiders, and one very 
small Homopterous insect (Delphax hemiptera). There was also 
a species of the Isopod Crustacea, and with it our common 
Wood-louse (Porcellio) ; the Book-louse (Psocus), Earwig (For- 
ficula), and Flea were also present, and appeared to have been 
introduced. The Woodlouse was astonishingly abundant, cover- 
ing the island in such dense masses that one of the naturalists 
estimated its numbers at 6,000,000,000, assuming 100 speci- 
mens as the minimum on one square foot of surface. About 
the fumaroles they always lay in heaps, dead and scorched. 
The similar absence of all Butterflies, Sphinges, and Bombyces 
in Iceland was explained by my late friend, the learned traveller 
and naturalist, Dr. Thienemann (Reise, 1827, p. 240), by their 
being more easily destroyed by showers of ashes ; whilst Noctue 
and Geometre exist in Iceland, and Butterflies live still further 
to the north. 
Of the higher Crustacea, a large Palinurus was very abundant 
in the sea, and proved to be very good eating. The Mollusca, 
which were not plentiful even in the dredge, were mostly very 
small. The largest was a Tritonium, 3 inches in length, taken 
in the sea. There were 3 small Brachiopods. 
The sum-total of the species of animals enumerated in the 
general account of the voyage scarcely amounts to 20, indepen- 
dent of human agency. 
However possible it might be to add a few fishes and some para- 
sites of the widely distributed birds and of the fishes to the fauna 
of the island, or to catalogue marine shells and worms in larger 
numbers than were furnished by the dredge, still the terrestrial 
fauna, which particularly interests us, has been in fact settled 
at the above small number of forms by remarkably expert and 
zealous observers. A few insects which had concealed themselves 
during stormy and rainy days might probably come forth in the 
quiet sunshine ; and at other seasons of the year a few more 
species of animals and plants might be collected, which were in- 
