Ch. EX.] FAUNA OF MIDDLE ISLAND. 131 



like Kghtning into a hole in the sand, which they had already 

 prepared. Besides these there was nothing more to he no- 

 ticed, with the exception of a very elegant anemone (Sagartia), 

 of a new species, which I afterwards found to be extensively 

 distributed over the islands in these Straits. It was of a 

 small size, adhering firmly to rough stones, and very prettily 

 marked with a close vertical series of hair-like streaks, 

 which, when the animal was expanded, ran parallel from 

 mouth to base. These lines are variable, and give consider- 

 able variety of appearance to the individual zoophytes. 

 The greater number, and usually the broader lines, were 

 olive-green, or greenish brown, and this may be called the 

 body-colour, and these are alternated with dull white, and, 

 at regular intervals, a streak of vermilion or yellow, perhaps 

 twelve vermilion streaks altogether. In some specimens 

 the white streaks were replaced by yellow, while in others 

 the colour was a uniform olive, with about a dozen delicate 

 hair-like streaks of vermilion or orange placed at regular 

 intervals. 



The other island, called Black Islet, was a small spot, 

 about a furlong in length, consisting of a mass of granite 

 broken up and much disintegrated — aU the upper part being 

 a soil of coarse quartz sand. It was within sight of the 

 last, but the rocks were perfectly smooth (except for a few 

 small barnacles), and had not a single prickly oyster grow- 

 ing upon them. Here, however, were abundance of Ligiae, 

 but the tide was too high to allow of my exploring low down. 

 I therefore devoted the hour at my disposal to the higher 

 parts of the islet ; and considering its small size, the variety 

 of its Fauna and Flora was remarkable. The Fauna was 

 composed chiefly of insects — ^three species of dragon-fly 

 (LibeUula), a grasshopper, a small spider of the genus 



K 2 



