THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 17 



occupied myself, while the others were engaged in their obser- 

 vations of the sun, in watching the movements of a jumping 

 spider {Salticus), which was keeping an eager look-out for flies, 

 and in gazing out on the blue waters of the bay, in which 

 numbers of negro children were disporting themselves, and on 

 the rugged yellowish peaks of the island, standing out in sharp 

 contrast to the cloudless blue sky of this glaringly hot day. 

 Before long Mr. Miller arrived, and I received a good deal of 

 information from him relative to the leading features of the 

 natural history of St. Yincent, which, he mentioned, had been 

 visited not long before by three well-known naturalists — the 

 Eev. Mr. Lowe, Mr. Yernon WoUaston, and Professor Dohrn 

 of Stettin. In reply to my inquiries, he told me that there 

 were about twenty-seven species of birds on the island, no 

 snakes, two species of lizards, and a considerable number of 

 insects ; and that in the bay a variety of fish, mollusca, and 

 Crustacea, were to be met with. He mentioned that sharks 

 were not common ; but that a blue shark, on which the inlia- 

 bitants of Porto Grande had bestowed the cognomen of 

 '' Seraphine," paid periodical visits to the bay, and that 

 a gigantic species of Eay was not uncommon, and much 

 dreaded by the negroes, who believed that it enfolded its 

 victim in its great pectoral fins, and then lacerated his body 

 with a sharp dorsal spine — an account reminding one of the 

 vj^ legends of the great devil-fish of North America. Mr. Miller 

 ^ also informed me that the island was at this time more 

 ^ covered with vegetation than it had ever been before during 

 the whole period of his long residence upon it ; and kindly 

 offered me the use of a horse and guide if I felt disposed to 

 investigate the state of matters for myself 



Gladly accepting this proposal, and my steed having been 

 got ready, I mounted, and rode off at a leisurely pace, accom- 



c 



