104 HOPE ISLANDS. 



hill in the back-ground so strongly reminded us of 

 the Peter Botte at Mauritius, that it was so named 

 upon our chart,— it is 3311 feet in height, the Cape 

 itself being 1454 feet. For about six days lately 

 the weather has been very boisterous, blowing hard 

 from E.S.E. with a considerable sea. 



The weather having at length moderated, I 

 yesterday and to-day visited the islands composing 

 the group. A deep and clear channel of a mile in 

 width separates these islands, the larger of which 

 is surrounded completely, and the smaller partially, 

 by an extensive reef. The former, or western one, 

 is merely a long strip of heaped up coral and 

 shells, \^ith a little sand and some drift wood run- 

 ning parallel to the outer edge of the reef, in the 

 direction of the prevailing wind. It is over-run 

 with low bushes, and a few other plants, such as 

 the large purple-flowered Bossioea, and Ipomoea 

 maritima. A long bank of dead coral only a few 

 feet above high-water mark, with an intervening- 

 ditch-like hollow, separates it from the sea to the 

 eastward ; while on the other side, towards the 

 reef, it is margined with tall mangroves. Small 

 and barren though this spot be, it is yet inhabited 

 by lizards and a species of rat. Besides the usual 

 waders on the reef, I found great numbers of 

 doves and honeysuckers, and, among the mangroves, 

 fell in with and procured specimens of a very rare 

 kingflsher. Halcyon sordidus. Among the man- 

 groves a rare shell, a species of Quoyia, occurred. 



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