﻿OBSERVATIONS 
  IN 
  NATURAL 
  HISTORY, 
  dc. 
  411 
  

  

  very 
  shy. 
  There 
  is 
  always 
  a 
  heavy 
  surf 
  along 
  the 
  shore, 
  and, 
  

   as 
  lauding 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  in 
  an 
  ordinary 
  boat, 
  we 
  went 
  ashore 
  

   in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Pitcairn 
  surf-boats. 
  The 
  islanders 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  

   skilful 
  in 
  using 
  these 
  boats, 
  and 
  they 
  ran 
  us 
  up 
  into 
  a 
  little 
  

   sheltered 
  bay 
  through 
  a 
  surf 
  that 
  must 
  have 
  swamped 
  any 
  

   ordinary 
  boat. 
  

  

  I 
  soou 
  started 
  off 
  into 
  the 
  island 
  collecting, 
  and 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  

   a 
  daj 
  r 
  I 
  went 
  over 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  Pitcairn. 
  The 
  roads 
  or 
  

   paths 
  are 
  well 
  kept, 
  and 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  fresh 
  water 
  runs 
  down 
  from 
  

   the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  through 
  pipes 
  to 
  the 
  settlement. 
  Banana- 
  

   trees 
  grow 
  in 
  profusion 
  over 
  most 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  The 
  

   highest 
  point 
  is 
  about 
  1000 
  ft. 
  above 
  sea-level. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  species 
  of 
  land-bird, 
  which 
  is, 
  however, 
  

   abundant. 
  It 
  was 
  described 
  as 
  a 
  new 
  species 
  two 
  years 
  before 
  

   our 
  visit, 
  from 
  specimens 
  brought 
  home 
  by 
  Lieut. 
  Vaughan, 
  of 
  

   H.M.S. 
  'Duke 
  of 
  Wellington,' 
  and 
  was 
  named 
  after 
  its 
  dis- 
  

   coverer 
  b} 
  T 
  Dr. 
  Bowdler 
  Sharpe. 
  This 
  bird 
  {Tatar 
  e 
  vaughani) 
  

   has 
  been 
  figured 
  bj' 
  Mr. 
  Keulemans 
  m 
  my 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  birds 
  

   collected 
  (' 
  Ibis,' 
  January, 
  1904, 
  plate 
  1). 
  Until 
  our 
  visit 
  the 
  

   plumage 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  bird, 
  which 
  differs 
  considerably 
  from 
  the 
  

   adult, 
  was 
  unknown. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  sea-birds 
  at 
  Pitcairn. 
  Gannets 
  

   (Sula 
  piscator), 
  the 
  Tropic 
  Bird 
  previously 
  mentioned, 
  Noddy- 
  

   Terns 
  (Anoiis 
  stolidus), 
  and 
  White 
  Terns 
  {Gygis 
  Candida). 
  There 
  

   is 
  also 
  a 
  large 
  Shearwater 
  (Pujfinus 
  sp.), 
  which 
  I 
  saw 
  in 
  some 
  

   numbers 
  flying 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  island. 
  There 
  are 
  

   some 
  Bats 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  but 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  get 
  one. 
  It 
  is 
  

   probably 
  Mils 
  rattus, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  brought 
  by 
  ships, 
  very 
  

   possibly 
  by 
  the 
  ' 
  Bounty 
  ' 
  itself. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  Lizard 
  {Lygosoma 
  

   cyanuriun), 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  abundant. 
  I 
  caught 
  a 
  few 
  Micro- 
  

   Lepidoptera, 
  amongst 
  which 
  Plutella 
  maculipennis 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  

   noteworthy. 
  From 
  a 
  water-butt 
  we 
  took 
  some 
  larvas 
  of 
  Mos- 
  

   quitoes, 
  which, 
  when 
  reared, 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  Stegomyia 
  fasciata. 
  

   After 
  spending 
  a 
  day 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  at 
  Pitcairn, 
  we 
  left, 
  on 
  March 
  

   23rd, 
  for 
  Tahiti. 
  

  

  During 
  our 
  passage 
  to 
  Tahiti 
  we 
  passed 
  several 
  tree-trunks 
  

   and 
  many 
  cocoanuts 
  floating 
  on 
  the 
  water. 
  These 
  were 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  carried 
  away 
  during 
  the 
  fearful 
  

   hurricane 
  in 
  the 
  Pamoutu 
  Islands, 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  low 
  coral 
  

  

  