196 NO PASSAGE TO THE EASTWARD. 



made himself as conspicuous as on former occasions, 

 and none shouted more loudly or wished to attract 

 more attention to himself. Unfortunately his 

 eloquence was quite thrown away upon us, nor 

 had his threatening" gestures the desired efiect of 

 inducing- us to leave the place and proceed to 

 sea. 



June 20th. — I returned to the ship after a short 

 cruize in the pinnace sent away with Lieutenant 

 Simpson to ascertain whether a passage for the 

 ship to the eastward existed hetween Piron Island 

 and South-east Island. Independently of numerous 

 detached coral patches, the channel was found to he 

 completel}' blocked up by a reef stretching across 

 from one island to the other, be3^ond which, sepa- 

 rated by an extensive tract of shoal water, a heavy 

 surf was breaking on what is probably an outer 

 barrier. Manj- snakes were seen on the surface of 

 the water, and large shoals of skipjacks {Caranx) 

 plapng about in long extended lines occasionally 

 presented the appearance of a breaking reef. The 

 fish were attended by flocks of terns and noddies, 

 the former the beautiful Sterna melanauchcn. 



June 21st. — Landed on the neighbouring Obser- 

 vation Reef, and spent some hours there searching 

 for shells, but nearlj- all were Torres Sti'ait species. 

 The reef is margined with blocks of coral, but the 

 centre is mostly smooth and covered with sand part 

 of which dries at low water; the rise and faU, 

 ascertained by a tide-pole set up here, was only 



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