﻿OBSERVATIONS 
  IN 
  NATURAL 
  HISTORY, 
  So. 
  403 
  

  

  there 
  are 
  worse 
  places 
  for 
  a 
  convicted 
  murderer 
  than 
  Fernando 
  

   Noronha. 
  Each 
  man 
  has 
  his 
  own 
  cottage 
  and 
  garden, 
  and 
  has 
  

   only 
  to 
  do 
  three 
  hours' 
  work 
  a 
  day 
  for 
  the 
  State 
  ; 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  

   time 
  they 
  work 
  in 
  their 
  gardens, 
  though 
  all 
  have 
  to 
  attend 
  a 
  

   roll-call 
  at 
  sunset, 
  when 
  a 
  bugle 
  is 
  blown. 
  Previous 
  to 
  our 
  visit, 
  

   I 
  believe, 
  only 
  one 
  other 
  naturalist 
  had 
  visited 
  this 
  island 
  ; 
  this 
  

   was 
  Dr. 
  H. 
  N. 
  Ridley. 
  The 
  ' 
  Challenger 
  ' 
  touched 
  there 
  in 
  1873, 
  

   but 
  were 
  not 
  permitted 
  to 
  collect. 
  Dr. 
  Ridley, 
  however, 
  had 
  

   worked 
  the 
  island 
  pretty 
  thoroughly, 
  and 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  

   which 
  he 
  obtained 
  were 
  described 
  as 
  new, 
  i. 
  e. 
  Vireo 
  gracilirostris 
  

   and 
  Elainea 
  ridleyana. 
  I 
  therefore 
  obtained 
  no 
  novelties, 
  but 
  I 
  

   met 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  birds 
  obtained 
  by 
  him. 
  There 
  are 
  only 
  three 
  

   species 
  of 
  land-birds, 
  they 
  being 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  already 
  men- 
  

   tioned, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  Dove 
  (Zenaida 
  ariculata). 
  This 
  latter 
  bird 
  

   is 
  not 
  peculiar 
  to 
  Fernando 
  Noronha, 
  as 
  the 
  two 
  former 
  species 
  

   are, 
  but 
  is 
  found 
  also 
  in 
  South 
  America. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  abundant, 
  

   and 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  island, 
  sometimes 
  in 
  large 
  

   flocks. 
  Maize 
  is 
  grown 
  in 
  some 
  quantities 
  on 
  this 
  island, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  a 
  few 
  bananas. 
  The 
  natives, 
  with 
  great 
  dexterity, 
  use 
  

   catamarans, 
  i.e. 
  rafts 
  made 
  of 
  three 
  logs 
  lashed 
  together 
  side 
  

   by 
  side, 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  seat 
  at 
  one 
  end. 
  Several 
  of 
  the 
  convicts, 
  

   to 
  show 
  us, 
  went 
  through 
  the 
  rough 
  surf, 
  propelling 
  their 
  cata- 
  

   marans 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  paddle. 
  There 
  is 
  always 
  a 
  surf 
  breaking 
  on 
  

   the 
  shore, 
  and 
  we 
  never 
  landed 
  or 
  went 
  off 
  without 
  getting 
  wet. 
  

   The 
  only 
  mammals 
  on 
  this 
  island 
  are 
  imported 
  Rats 
  (Mas 
  rattus) 
  

   and 
  Mice. 
  I 
  saw 
  several 
  small 
  blue 
  butterflies, 
  but 
  obtained 
  

   none 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Lizards 
  on 
  Fernando 
  Noronha, 
  but 
  

   I 
  only 
  met 
  with 
  and 
  obtained 
  one 
  of 
  them, 
  Mabuia 
  punctata. 
  

   This 
  Lizard 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  but 
  very 
  

   quick 
  and 
  agile. 
  I 
  saw 
  numbers 
  basking 
  on 
  the 
  dry 
  sandy 
  

   ground 
  amongst 
  some 
  small 
  fig-trees. 
  Opposite 
  our 
  anchorage 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  " 
  blow-hole 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  rocks, 
  through 
  which 
  

   every 
  few 
  minutes 
  the 
  sea 
  drove 
  the 
  air 
  with 
  a 
  loud 
  rumble. 
  We 
  

   sailed 
  for 
  Bahia, 
  Brazil, 
  on 
  Dec. 
  22nd. 
  

  

  Christmas 
  Day 
  was 
  spent 
  within 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  low-lying 
  coast 
  

   of 
  Brazil, 
  and 
  the 
  tropical 
  heat 
  was 
  very 
  unlike 
  Christmas 
  

   weather. 
  

  

  Bahia 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  fine-looking 
  town 
  from 
  the 
  harbour, 
  but 
  on 
  

  

  2 
  i 
  2 
  

  

  