MR. J. T. CUNNINGHAM ON MARINE FISHES [Jail. 18, 



and open ; the la.rgesfc are whale-boats about 30 feet long 

 and sharp at both ends : these carry a movable mast on. whicli 

 a. sail can be hoisted, but they are more often propelled by oars. 

 These are used chiefly for the albacore-fishing which is carried on 

 off the south-west point of the island ; each boat carries a crew of 

 four men. The other boats are a little smaller and have square 

 sterns ; they are used for catching mackerel and various other 

 fish, chiefly at night, the albacore-fishing being carried on in 

 daylight. The island is roughly oblong and extends from north- 

 east to south-west, and as it lies in the region of the trade winds 

 blowing always from the south-east, the north-west coast is the 

 lee side, and the sea on this side is always smooth or moderate ; 

 hence the open boats are perfectly safe on this side, and here the 

 fishing is usually carried on. Seining was impossible, as there 

 are no smooth sloping beaches on which to draw a seine ; at the 

 mouths of the valleys including Jamestown there are beaches 

 of small extent, but they are very steep, are composed of large 

 pebbles, and there is usually a strong surf breaking on them. 

 This surf is due to large smooth waves, locally known as ' rollers,' 

 which come from the north-west, that is, in the direction opposite 

 to that of the wind ; their size and force varies greatly from 

 unknown causes, and when they are heavy, landing and embarking 

 at the wharf at Jamestown are rendered somewhat difficult. 



I made one trial of the trammel-net, setting it in the evening 

 in about four fathoms of water off Banks' Valley to the east 

 of Jamestown. When hauled a little after sunrise the next 

 morning it contained 11 soldiers (Holocentrum), 4 gurnards 

 (/Scorpcena), 2 flounders (Platophrys), 2 rockfish (Scarus), 1 stone- 

 brass (Caranx sanctce helenm), a large Panidirus, locally known as 

 long-legs, one Cidaris and one feather-star. I only once had an 

 opportunity of going to the windward coast of the island when a 

 small steam-launch belonging to Messrs. Solomons, the shipping 

 agents, towing a whale-boat, took a party as far as a small islet on 

 the south-east coast, called George Island. It had been intended to 

 circumnavigate the island, but the wind and sea increased so much 

 that we were obliged to make for a sheltered bay called Prosperous 

 Bay, where I was able to make a few hauls of the otter trawl. I 

 also trawled on the leeward side a little to the west of Jamestown 

 from the town down to Lemon Valley at a depth of about 

 30 fathoms, where the net brought up large quantities of the 

 massive coarse sponge identified by Mr. Kirkpatrick as Chondrosia 

 plebeja along with the species of Eudevidrium described below, six 

 specimens of the flat-fish Platophrys podas, locally called flounders, 

 three Scorpcena, several Cidaris, two Linckia, and a specimen of 

 Umbracidum mediterran eum. 



The shores of the island consist everywhere, except at the 

 pebble-beaches at the mouths of the valleys, of black volcanic 

 rock. The cliffs are vertical or nearty so, rising to a height 

 of 700 feet on either side of Jamestown, and at the bases of them 

 is a flat ledge of rock. The tide rises and falls onlv about two 



