THE VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF HOUTMAn's ABROLHOS. 457 



The Vertebrate Fauna of Houtman's Abrolhos (Abrolhos Islands), Western 

 Australia. By \\ r . B. Alexander, M. A., Late Keeper of Biology in the 

 Western Australian Museum. (Communicated by Dr. W. J. Darin, 

 Professor of Zoology in the University of Liverpool.) 



[Percy Sladen Trust Expedition to the Abrolhos Islands under the 

 leadership of Prof. W. .1. DAKIN.J 



[Read 17th March, 1921.] 



CONTENTS. 



Page 



Introduction 457 



Section 1.— The Land Vertebrates 459 



Mammalia 459 



Peptilia 460 



Amphibia 462 



Land-birds 402 



Summary 466 



Section 2. — The Marine Vertebrates 468 



Sea-birds 468 



Mammalia 478 



Reptilia 479 



Pisces 479 



Summary 484 



Literature cited 486 



Introduction. 



The first reference to the fauna of the Abrolhos is contained in the journal 

 of Francis Pelsart, 1(129 (1). He states that in the two or three large islands 

 (the Wallaby Islands) there were large numbers of a " species of cats," of 

 which he gives a very good description, the first proper account of a species 

 of kangaroo written, though I am not sure whether it was published till 1899, 

 as it was omitted from the popular account of his voyage published at the 

 time. Me adds that in these two islands they found a number o£ grey turtle- 

 doves, but no other animals. 



Oapt. Wickham, in command of H.M.S. ' Beagle,' surveyed the islands in 

 April 1840, and the officers under him made considerable collections, which 

 are now in the British Museum — unfortunately, in most cases with nothing 

 to indicate on which islands they were obtained. In his account of the 



LINN. JOURN. — ZOOLOGY, VOL. XXXIV. 



