SST ome 
NATURAL HISTORY OF A GUANO ISLAND. 175 
30 feet by 12, and was surrounded at a distance of a few yards 
by lines of coral slabs set in the ground, about 6 inches project- 
ing wend the surface. 
“There ere numerous kitchen the Kea a of ashes and 
on the island must have been the accumulation of many genera- 
tions, so that it seems probable that the island was inhabited by 
afew families for a long period. Near the kitchen heaps in several 
places were wells (seven in all) sunk to a depth of 2} feet, and 
carefully faced with coral slabs, but I never saw any water in 
them, and on sinking one a ‘foot deeper salt-water only was 
obtained. It was evident that fresh water had always been very 
scarce, as everywhere that a small hollow occurred in the rocks 
which would collect and retain rain-water, it was covered by one | 
or more slabs of coral to protect the wep from the sun. ‘These 
hollows had in most cases become with guano dust, and on 
clearing this out I generally found the belly whorl of a cassis or 
dolium which had heen kept there as a drinking vessel 
forming 4 line of itepping stained.” * The eutting and mesear 
stones extended over the six inner ridges, whilst the three outer 
ones were invariably as formed by the waves, eo a reco 
at present unreadable of the desertion of the is 
In one spot there was a rude attempt at facie a, several 
coral slabs being pe on edge and cove other slabs laid . * 
caer forming two dens about 4 feet cube, with entrances 
8 inches wide. There had mpperenety been others at the same 
pace whic had fallen ie disrepai 
were numerous graves wniadell by upright coral 
slabs. ot — pei of these, but was not successful in find 
ing any remains in them; but another gentleman was more suc- 
Porn the first grave he opened yielding a skull and tibia of a 
who from the length of this bone must have been nearly 
6 re high. Inthe same grave were a hatchet-head with polished 
formed of the outer lip of cassis polished to an edge at one end ; 
Rugs a neck-pendant from the inner lip of the same shell well cut 
to an acuminate ovate form, and bered at the wide end for s 
pension by a cord. In many places there were numerous a 
heads chipped roughly out of tridacna shells. These are 
of the shell an adze-sha iece which seems to me to be the 
pattern on which many of the South Sea stone 5 aie wee 
