HOUTMAN ABROLHOS ISLANDS. 133 



size of a bean, though at the same time perfectly proportioned, so that it 

 seems certain that they grow there out of the nipples of the mamma? from 

 which they draw their food until they are grown up and ready to walk. 

 Still, they keep creeping into the pouch even when they have become very 

 large and the dam ruus off with them when they are hunted." 



It is worthy of note that the Abrolhos Islands were charted by H.M.S. 

 'Beagle' under Wickham and Stokes a few years after Darwin's famous 

 voyage in that ship. The vessel was some time at the islands and obser- 

 vations were made on the tides and specimens of the fauna were collected. 

 Most of the names of the islets and passages were given at this time. 



Darwin himself refers to the Abrolhos Islands in his famous work on 

 Coral Reefs. He had, however, very little information concerning them, 

 beyond that reported by the surveying ships. 



The only serious biological investigations of the Abrolhos prior to our 

 visits were made by naturalists who were attracted by the bird-life. One 

 marine biologist, however, had visited the islands, namely Saville Kent. 

 Whilst making a survey for the Government of Western Australia in 1894, 

 this keen naturalist paid a flying visit to the Abrolhos. He was evidently 

 impressed by them, for in the preface to his work ' The Naturalist in 

 Australia,' he writes (referring to the development of the scientific poten- 

 tialities of the country) : — "As an indication of the leading position Western 

 Australia is eligible to occupy with relation to one important biological 

 subject, reference may be made to that chapter which deals with the Houtman's 

 Abrolhos. As there demonstrated, very exceptional facilities prevail at that 

 place for the conduct of reef-boring operations and for the prosecution of all 

 methods of investigation relating to coral and coral-life."' 



A considerable number of terrestrial vertebrates, particularly lizards, were 

 obtained by Gilbert, who visited the islands on behalf of Gould the ornitho- 

 logist. These specimens have been described in the British Museum 

 Catalogues on the Lizards, Snakes, and Batrachia respectively. After Gilbert's 

 collecting excursion, the next naturalist to visit the Abrolhos was A. J. 

 Campbell, F.L.S. A paper on the zoology of these islands by this worker 

 appeared in the Reports of the Australian Association for the Advancement 

 of Science, Melbourne, 1890. Campbell visited this group in December, 

 1889. Beyond a few remarks about the Mammals and Reptiles he deals only 

 with the bird-life. Campbell states that the Abrolhos form the greatest 

 " rookery for sea-birds in Australia, and by reason of their geographical 

 position in the sub-tropics, perhaps afford suitable breeding grounds for a 

 greater number of species than any other distinct or limited spot in the 

 world."' 



The next paper to appear dealing with the Abrolhos was a short article 

 by Helms, who visited the islands in 1898. This author names several plants, 

 speaks in a general way of the corals and fishes, and devotes most attention 



