90 THE CRUISE OF THE ABROLHOS. 






















As soon as the falling tide had sufficiently defined our litt 
harbor, we sailed in, and anchored close to the reef. Itoo 
a basket with cans and bottles, and leaped on the reef, © 
taking with me two men with a ¢araffa, a kind of round — 
casting net, to take fish in the pools. ie 
The’ reef, exposed at low tide, was level on top, and th 
corals, as at the Abrolhos, were generally dead and cove 
by barnacles, ete. It was exceedingly irregular and ngge 
in outline, and deeply indented by little bays. : 
face were many large pools (see sketch), in which I foun 
beautiful specimens of Millepora alcicornis, Siderastr 
Favia, ete., together with two or three species of gorgo nia 
belonging to the genera Hymenogorgia, Plexaurella and B 
nicia. 
Turning over the loose corals in the pond, I found a 
of interesting things, sea-urchins (Lchinometra Michel 
crimson starfishes (Echinaster crassispina Verrill), toget 
with many odd crabs. There is a curious little crustacea p0 
which there appears to be more than one species on the ¢oas 
of Brazil, called the Tamar. I used to be much pu 
= 
the claws. These Tamaris are very abundant, living in ti 
holes in the reefs, and I have more than once, when sa 
over a reef, heard their musical click in the water un 
neath me. There is a whole group of shrimp-like € 
ceans, whose hind-body is unprotected by a shell, and 1 
are called hermit-crabs, from their taking up their abode | 
dead shells. I found one large hermit-crab on this 
which was occupying a rather large shell on which 
seated a sea-anemone. It is a strange companionship W 
has been observed to exist between other species else 
The reef is not very rich in shells. E 
One of the men threw the round net successfully 
some charming little fishes in the ponds, and we soon 
