130 THE COUNTEX. 



and parrakeets, besides thrushes, orioles, leather- 

 heads, &c., but I shall not now enter upon the 

 ornithology of the district. A very large lizard 

 {Monitor Gouldii) is common at Cape York, — it 

 climbs trees Avith great agility, and is very swift, 

 scampering over the dead leaves in the scrubs, with 

 nearly as much noise as a kangaroo. Snakes, 

 although apparently not very plentiful, yet requii'e to 

 be carefiilly looked for in order to be avoided ; one 

 day I killed single individuals of two kinds,— one a 

 slender, very active green whip-snake, fom* feet in 

 length, — the other, the brown snake of New South 

 Wales, where its bite is considered fatal. Fish are 

 plentiful at Cape York ; they may be caught wath the 

 hook and line from the rocks, or at a little distance 

 off, and the sandy beach of Evans' Baj' is well- 

 adapted for hauling the seine upon. A curious 

 fresh-water fish {Megalops setipinnis) is found in the 

 lagoon here, and even in the wells dug by the FI3 , 

 there were some full grown individuals ; it much 

 resembles the herring, in shape, colour, and size. 

 The shells may be very briefly dismissed. The 

 principal landsheU is a very large variety of Helix 

 hipartita, here attaining its greatest size. The most 

 striking shell of the sand-flats is a handsome olive 

 (0. ispiiZttZa), remarkable for its extraordinary varia- 

 tions in colour, size, and even form. 



In viewing Cape York as the probable site of a 

 future settlement or military post, an important 

 feature to be noticed is the comparative abundance 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



