Ch. Vm.] AGINCOUET ISLAND, 123 



than take a cursory view, and note the characteristic pro- 

 ductions of the shore, when I was summoned to rejoin the 

 ship, or be left, Eobinson Crusoe-like, upon the island. 

 My towing-net from the ship, however, meantimp yielded a 

 number of the little oceanic crabs with spiked carapace 

 (Lupea pelagica). 



Agincourt, the third island of this group, presents a re- 

 markable appearance from the numerous caves in its sides, 

 which are visible from a considerable distance, and its 

 structure on a near inspection is easUy discernible. The 

 island is formed of a rounded lull of sandstone, with several 

 smoothly worn eminences, and traversed from end to end by 

 an enormous dyke of trappean rock. This dyke, best seen 

 on the north side, is broad and nearly level, terminating in 

 an abrupt precipice on the left, and gently sloping towards 

 the sea on the right. It cuts off a small portion of the sand- 

 stone rock from the main mass, and in this portion are two 

 conspicuous caves, finely and spaciously arched at the en- 

 trance, but apparently not penetrating very far back. There 

 are no less than six caverns in the sides of this island ; nor 

 are they all confined to the soft sandstone, for while two of 

 them are in the sandstone of the north side, and two in the 

 sandstone of the south side, the remaining two are situated 

 in the abrupt face of the trap cliff on the eastern side of the 

 island. In all the sandstone caverns the arches were broad, 

 sweeping, and symmetrical ; but in those of the trap they 

 were lofty and irregular in form, and quite distinct in 

 character from the rest. 



On the west side is a poor village, or hamlet, whose in- 

 habitants we could see watching us ; and this accounted for 

 the fact that the highest part of the island was under culti- 

 vation, and also for the absence of the numerous birds which 



