454 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
and at low tide a large tract of coral flats and reefs, extending 
for several miles on each side of the islands is uncovered, and 
affords fine feeding grounds for numerous species of shore birds. 
Soon after the ship anchored I landed in company with one 
of my messmates, Lieut. Allenby, to explore the island and see 
what it produced in the way of sport or natural history. Allenby 
took his gun, but I contented myself with a butterfly-net and a 
few collecting boxes. As we approached the island we noticed 
that most of the low bushes were covered with white and blue 
reef Herons, as was also the beach; while feeding upon the reefs, 
which were then uncovered, were a multitude of shore birds. 
Some of the latter, as we drew nearer, became suspicious and 
took wing, and with loud cries moved off to a more distant point 
along the reef. Among them I recognised the familiar notes of 
the Curlew, Whimbrel, Grey and Golden Plover, &c. Directly 
we lauded, Allenby went off after the birds on the reef, while 
I strolled up towards the bushes to look for Lepidoptera, &c. 
The reef Herons were quite tame and permitted me to approach 
within a short distance before they took wing. While watching 
them, a bevy of Quail rose suddenly at my feet and quite startled 
me with the whirr of their wings as they flew off at an amazing 
pace for a short distance, and then alighted abruptly among the 
high grass; and I almost regretted that I had not brought a gun. 
‘There were many interesting plants growing a little way above 
high-water mark, and some were in flower, but most of them, 
I am sorry to say, were unknown to me. However, there appeared 
to be several species of Mesembryanthemum and Euphorbia, and 
a plant which was exactly similar to, if not identical with, our 
English Salsola kali. But the commonest plant was a kind of 
Convolvulus, with fine pinkish-purple flowers and vigorous stems, 
which in some instances were to be observed creeping over the 
sand for sixty or eighty feet in a perfectly straight line. It was 
frequent all over the island, and is a plant which seems to flourish 
upon all the islands I have visited in the Western Pacific, for 
IT have met with it commonly at Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, the New 
Hebrides, &c. It is a favourite food of the larve of Protoparce 
distans, a moth which is closely identical to Sphinx convolvuli. 
A leguminous plant, much resembling our familiar garden 
scarlet-runner, was creeping in profusion over the low bushes, and 
numbers of a small dark metallic-blue Lycena were disporting 
—er re 
