Ch. XV.] SHAEKS. 259 



west of the town, and is covered with loose stones, upon 

 which grows abundantly a species of Keramidia, an Alga 

 allied to Jania ; while upon these stones I met with seven 

 species of Planaria, of very various and beautiful forms, and 

 all probably new, as well as one species I had already found 

 at Labuan. Nudibranchiates were rare, and several ex- 

 plorations only yielded a single species, a very beautiful rose- 

 coloured one, probably Doridopsis rubra, which occurs 

 among the Indian nudibranchs of Sir Walter EUiot, as weU 

 as among those described from Ceylon. Several species of 

 Ascidian Tunicates, small hirsute Crustacea, and Peronias, 

 but no Echinoderms (star-fishes or sea-urchins) of any kind. 

 Among the zoophytes I detected a specimen of the beautiful 

 dendriform Actinia, already described from Pulo Enoe, so 

 that Singapore must be added as a locality for the iutere sting 

 sea-anemone. 



The harbour of Singapore was sometimes beautifully 

 luminous at night, as described in another chapter, and on 

 such occasions abounded with Noctilucse, which appeared to 

 be the cause of the phenomenon. Sharks from time to time 

 venture among the shipping, probably enticed by the garbage 

 thrown overboard from the vessels, which also attracts a 

 number of large hawks, known under the common, name of 

 Bromlykites, which are constantly hovering about, and 

 darting down, seizing some floating mass in their claws. 

 The men of the " Pearl " man-of-war, which lay further out 

 than we did, two or three times hooked a shark during our 

 stay, the carcase of which was gladly purchased by the 

 bumboatmen for a couple of dollars ; but we, who were 

 nearer in-shore, never succeeded in taking any of these 

 monsters, although the tell-tale fin was more than once 

 seen not far to seaward. 



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