BY F. E. GRANT AND ALLAN E. McCULLOCH. 6 



On the seaward side of the Harbour there is a series of large 

 rocky islands. Here, although the water is still affected by the 

 mud, there is a slightly different fauna, which, however, bears a 

 coastal stamp. 



Some dredging was done in Port Curtis in depths of 4 to 10 

 fathoms. The bottom was found to be more or less sandy, with 

 an admixture of mud on the landward side and everywhere with 

 a great quantity of shingle. Here, amongst others, a number of 

 the species collected by H.M.S. " Alert " which visited this coast 

 in April, 1881, and which were described by Miers in the 

 ' Zoology ' of that voyage, were retaken. 



Immediately to the east of the islands forming the seaward 

 face of Port Curtis there lies a small island called Rat Island. 

 This being situate in the clearer waters unaffected by the land 

 drainage, carries a growth of coral. This was visited by Dr. 

 Pulleine, of Gympie, to whom our thanks are due for placing the 

 collection made at this point in our hands. The specimens have 

 distinctly the facies of the coral fauna, and are in the accompany- 

 ing comparative list included with those taken from Mast Head 

 Island. 



Mast Head Island is- situate some 30 miles to the east of 

 Gatcombe Head at the entrance of Port Curtis, and about four 

 miles to the south of the Tropic of Capricorn. It forms one of 

 the Capricorn Group, and is almost at the south end of the Great 

 Barrier Reef. Here a camp was made and eight days were spent 

 in collecting, the conditions being found quite dissimilar from 

 those in Port Curtis. 



The island forms part of a typical coral atoll. It is 90 acres 

 in extent, surrounded by the lagoon and fringing reef which it 

 touches at its north-west point, but which on the other side is 

 some six miles distant. The shallow lagoon contains a great 

 amount of living coral, and the surrounding reef, which is 

 uncovered for some hours as the tide goes out, exhibits a large 

 field of strewed coral blocks, many of them loose and others 

 firmly fixed by secondary deposit of lime, requiring a crow-bar to 

 move them, but all presenting an ideal field for the collector. 



