58 SHARKS AND SHELLS. 



open country, and being- very wary, it is only by 

 stratag-em or accident that they can be approached 

 within gunshot. No land snakes were seen, but 

 sea snakes seem to be frequent in the harbour. 

 Sharks of enormous size appeared to be common; 

 one day we caught two, and while the first taken 

 was hanging under the ship's stern, others made 

 repeated attacks upon it, raising their heads par- 

 tially out of the water, and tearing off long strips 

 of the flesh before the creature was dead. Another 

 swam off apparently as active as ever, although a 

 musket ball had been fired through its head. On 

 several occasions a party was sent to haul the seine 

 upon a neighbouring mud flat covered at high 

 water, and generally made good captures, especially 

 of mullet and bream (ChrysopJirys) ; in addition, 

 many other more curious fishes were caught, and 

 several rare and new Crustacea — Sqtdlla, Lupea 

 Thalamita, and a new genus allied to Gonoplax, 

 which will be found described in the Appendix. 

 Of landshells, only two kinds, a Helix and a 

 Succinea, were found upon Facing Island. Of 

 marine species, 41 were added to the collection; 

 the most important in a non-zoological point of 

 view is a kind of rock oyster of delicious flavour 

 and large size. 



Nov. 2dth. — Sailed from Port Louis for the 

 northward, in company with the Asp, the Bramble 

 being sent to Moreton Bay in order to communicate 

 the results of the survey to the Colonial Govern- 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



