DammermaN: Fauna of the Krakataii Islands. 67 



I will further draw attention to the presence of Dicaeum irigonostigma 

 on Krakatau and Verlaten I. Most Dicaeum are said to feed chiefly on spiders 

 and on the fruit of Loranthaceae, but the absence of this family of parasitic 

 plants on both islands seems to prove that this species of Dicaeum also 

 can live without these plants. 



The abundance of papaw trees on Verlaten I. North may be responsible 

 for the great number of birds living there, in this connection I wish to 

 mention that at my last visit on the 24th of October 1Q21 all the papaw trees 

 on the northern part of Verlaten I. had been destroyed by a root disease. 

 Not a single tree was left erect, all had fallen down bent just at the foot 

 which was wholly rotten. One may suggest that as these fruit trees have 

 died out on Verlaten 1 many birds which feed on papaws will abandon 

 the island. 



For zoogeographical problems, however, birds are not so important 

 as mammals, reptiles, etc. All the birds found on Krakatau or Verlaten 1. 

 can easily accomplish the distance which separates these islands from the 

 other islands in the vicinity or from the Java and Sumatra coast. 



Much more interesting are Reptiles, which can reach the islands only 

 by sea. JACOBSON recorded from Krakatau only two species ; he stated 

 that no snakes were seen. I found four species on Krakatau and five on 

 Verlaten I., of which only one was a snake, Python reticulatns SCHN. 

 (see List D). Natives often assured us that they had met this snake on 

 the islands and Mr. Handl, already mentioned above, told us that his 

 chickens were always devoured by Pythons, but it was not until January 

 1922 that we succeeded in catching two young specimens on Krakatau. 

 Both were found in the shrubs. near the beach and were about 1 M. in 

 length, apparently young from one hatch. The stomach of one was empty 

 that of the other contained the remnants of a rat. 



The Hemidactylus mentioned by JACOBSON probably was H.frenatus 

 D. et B. This house tjitjak, spread throughout the Indo-Australian Archipelago, 

 is now common on both Krakatau and Verlaten I. Another tjitjak collected 

 on both islands is Le pido dactylus lugubris D. et B. It is remarkable that 

 this species has not been found yet in Java or Sumatra; the nearest 

 localities from which it is recorded being Riou and Borneo. 



Further on Verlaten I. only occurs a skink (Lygosoma atrocostatum LESS.). 

 This species, now common on the northern part of Verlaten I., has 

 certainly come to the island after 1908, otherwise JACOBSON would have 

 observed it. The l/ara/z/zs-species mentioned by JACOBSON, is most probably 

 Varanus salvator Laur., this species abounding now on both islands- 

 The absence of crocodiles is certainly due to the absence of rivers and of proper 

 food on the islands. Also Amphibians are still wanting. The chance of their 

 arrival and settling on the islands is not great, Krakatau being absolutely 

 without fresh water. On Verlaten I. only are there fresh-water pools besides 

 the brackish-water lake. 



