TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. 709 



■waves has been greatest at these points ; hence we find that at the headlands the 

 terraced slopes are replaced by a single abrupt descent. 



Captain Wharton points out that the raised reefs forming the summit of 

 Christmas Island are the highest that are known in the world. 



No sign of any stream was seen. The rain sinks at once into the porous lime- 

 stone rocli: and reaches the sea by underground channels. AVidely-spread littoral 

 plants fringe the shores, Hibiscus tileaceus, Tournefortia argentca, and Scavda 

 kmiifjii being abundant. Within the line of shore plants the high bush begins. 

 Many of the trees attain 200 feet in height. Several kinds of epiphytes were found, 

 among which a new species of Hoya was conspicuous. 



The following vertebrate animals were observed (those marked with an 

 asterisk are peculiar to the island) : — ■ 



MAMMALS. 



*Pteropus natalis. (Thomas.) 



A small insectivorous Bat (not obtained), Sorex (sp.) 



*Mus macleari. (Thomas.) 



*Mus, n. sp. 



BIRDS 



♦Merula erythropleura. (Sharpe.) 



*Zosterops, n. sp. 



*Collocalia, n. sp. 



*Carpophaga whartoni. (Sharpe.) 



*Chalcophaps, n. sp. 



•Urospizias, n. sp. 



*Ninox, n. sp. 



Totanus hypoglottis. (Linn.) 



Charadrius geoifroyi. (Wagler.) 



Ardea jugularis. (Forster.) ^ 



Sula, 2 sp. 



Fregeta aquila. (Linn.) 



Phaethon flavirostris. (Brandt.) 



Phaethon phoenicurus. (Gm.) 



REPTILES. 

 Lizards. 



*Lygosoma nativitatis. (Blgr.) 

 •Ablepharus, n. sp. 



Qymnodactylus marmoratus. (Kuhl.) 

 'Gecko, n. sp. 



Snakes. 



•Typhlops exocoeti. (Blgr.) 



Turtles. 

 Chelonia virgata. 



No Amphibia were found. 



Eleven kinds of Molluscs are known, seven of which were discovered during the 

 visit of the ' Egeria.' Five out of the eleven have been Ibund by Mr. E. A. Smith 

 to be peculiar to the island. 



The examination of the insects has not yet been completed. 



Birgus latro (Linn.)— The large land crab was very abundant. 



Though the collections are, from the shortness of the visit, necessarily imperfect, 

 the following conclusions as to the nature of the Christmas Island fauna appear to 



be justified. • , nr , 



First Its poverty. Situated 190 miles from the nearest part of the rich Malay 



Archipelago, it contains, as far as is at present known, only five kinds of Mammals, 



