A CORAL KEEP. 103 



and, with some fine NaticcB^ and a Pyramidella, 

 may be found by tracing the marks of their long 

 burrows. Several Strombi and Nassa coronata 

 inhabit the shallow sandy pools ; the egg-shell and 

 many OyprcecB occur under coral blocks, which, 

 when over sand, often harbour different kinds of 

 cones— of which the handsome C. Textile is the 

 commonest. A delicate white IAttm (L.fragilis) is 

 abundant here, merrily swimming away in the pool 

 under an upturned stone, and leaving its fringe-like 

 tentacles adhering to the hand when seized. 

 Lastly, it would be improper to omit mentioning 

 the very fine oysters adhering to the roots of the 

 mangroves. But these are only a small portion of 

 the shell-fish collected here. Among radiate ani- 

 mals, several Ophiurce and Ophiocomce and other 

 AsteriadcB, with two kinds of Echinus, are also 

 plentiful under blocks of coral {Astrcea and Mean- 

 drina) in the pools ; one of the last, remarkable for 

 its very long, slender, black spines, has the power 

 of giving an exceedingly painful puncture, if 

 carelessly handled — for a few minutes the sensation 

 is similar to that caused by the sting of a wasp ; of 

 the others, a fine Ophiura is remarkable for its 

 great size and grass-green colour, and an Ophiocoma 

 for the prodigious length of its arms. 



July 19th. — Six days ago we anchored under the 

 lee of the reef on which the Hope Islands are 

 situated, but in a position which afforded little 

 shelter. While off" Gape Tribulation, a remarkable 



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