SHELLS. 213 



A small fire-fly (a species of Lampyris) is plentiful, 

 showing- out at nig-lit like a twinkling- phosphorescent 

 spark, slowly flitting- about from tree to tree or 

 resting- on the leaves wet with dew. Nor must I 

 omit a very splendid day-flying moth {Cocytia 

 D' Urvillei) which is common on the skirts of the 

 woods and thickets ; several even came on board the 

 ship at various times. 



Very few fish were caught at this anchorage, but 

 on the mud-flat at the mouth of the creek, shoals of 

 mullet and " guard-fish" were seen daily. In the 

 fresh water I observed several small species of 

 Cyprinidse rising at flies, but, not being provided 

 with the requisite tackle, none were caught. 



The muddy mangrove-covered banks of the lower 

 part of the creek furnished the collection with an 

 Auricula and a very fine Oyrena, apparently the 

 same as the Australian and New Guinea C. Cy- 

 prinoides. Many fresh-water shells were found in 

 the neighbourhood of the watering-place — three 

 kinds of Melania, a Mytilus, a Navicella, and five 

 species of Neritirm — but most of these have been 

 already described as inhabitants of the Feejee 

 Islands and other places in Polynesia, and else- 

 where. One might reasonably have anticipated a 

 rich harvest of land-shells in the damp forests of 

 South-east Island, yet diligent search on the trunks 

 of the trees and among the dead leaves about their 

 roots produced only four species, all of which 

 however are new. The finest of these is a Pupina, 



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