512 MR. J. J. LISTER ON THE NATURAL [DeC. 4, 



4. On the Natural History of Christmas Island, in the 

 Indian Ocean. By J. J. Lister^ M.A., F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived October 15, 1888.] 



(Plates XXVI. & XXVII.) 



I. Incroduction, p. 512. 

 II. Pbysical Features, p. 513. 

 III. Geological History, p. 515. 

 IV. Vegetation, p. 515. 



V. Mammals, p. 516. 



VI. Birds, p. 517. 

 VIL Eeptiles, p. 529. 

 VIII. Crustaceans, p. 529. 



IX. Conclusion, p. 530. 



I. INTRODUCTION. 



H.M. Surveying-vessel ' Egeria ' left Batavia early on the morning 

 of the 27th September, 1887, to carry a line of deep soundings across 

 the Indian Ocean to Mauritius and to visit Christmas Island on the 

 way. 



In January of the same year a short visit had been paid to the 

 island by H.M. Surveying-vessel 'Flying-Fish.' The collections 

 which were made on that occasion exhibited a remarkable degree of 

 peculiarity in the animal inhabitants ' and showed that a longer visit 

 to the island would probably yield some interesting results. 



I was appointed by the Lords of the Admiraltj' to join the ' Egeria ' 

 as naturalist during this part of her cruise, and went out from England 

 to Colombo, where 1 found that she had already arrived. 



On the way to Batavia we crossed the Bay of Bengal and passed 

 along the Straits of Malacca to Singapore, and thence through the 

 narrow channel between Banca and Sumatra to Batavia. 



Leaving Batavia we entered the Straits of Suuda. To the east 

 the Javan hills sloped steeply to the sea, scored with many valleys 

 and ridges, and the rich red volcanic earth brightly variegated with 

 green crops. At their feet was the town of Anjer and the line of 

 coast which suffered so terribly from the explosion of Krakatao in 

 1883, while above the first of the great conical mountains of Java 

 now and then loomed out from the clouds. To the westward and 

 more distant a high volcanic peak on Sumatra rose above the nearer 

 islands, and later in the day Krakatoa itself was seen, a simple 

 conical mass with a white cloud drifting away from the top, appearing 

 and disappearing at intervals. 



The next day we had left the smooth, shallow, green seas through 

 which we had passed ever since rounding Aclieeu Head at the N.W. 

 end of Sumatra and were bouncing about in deep blue water as the 

 'Egeria' steamed slowly south against the wind. That day a sound- 

 ing was made and bottom reached at 1400 odd fathoms. 



At daylight on Friday, September 30th, Christmas Island was in 

 sight. In the distance it appeared as a long dark strip against the 

 sky with the sides rising moderately steeply, a shallow saddle in the 



^ A Report on the collections made on that occasion, including Captai 

 Maclear's Report, appeared in the Proceedings of this Society for 1887 (p. 507 



