IN'I'KODUCriON WAITK. 



2:3 



On Murch ^Htli tlu> "Thetis" left Sydney for Lord Howe Island, 

 it beinjf intended to test the trawling cliaracter of the ground 

 around its shores. Tn coiise(|iieneeof the extremely rou<.(h weather 

 this proved to be impossible. After a j)assaj^e of seventy hours, 

 as a<i;ainst the usual thirty-si.\, we were landed on the island, and 

 there left for eleven da3's, the "Thetis" bein^' blown to sea in the 

 gale, returning' to Sydney for coal and sui)[)lies before taking us 

 off. 



During the first few days on the island the weather was too 

 boisterous and the sea too high to permit of any marine work. 

 Afterwards we were enabled to get on to the reef, and also to 

 draw the seine in tlie lagoon. 



In conjunction with the Curator (Mr. Robert Etheridge, Junr.), 

 who accompanied us on this occasion, I made collections of land 

 animals, but as the "Thetis" had neai-ly all our collecting apparatus 

 and preservatives on board we laboured under ditliculties. Not- 

 withstanding this we did some successful reef collecting, and were 

 fortunate in securing additional remains of the extinct Chelonian, 

 Meiolania. 



It is possible that the Lord Howe Island collections may be 

 examined and the results published as a supplement to the present 

 work. 



