144. AN EXPEDITION TO CHRISTMAS ISLANDS. 



have caught two more had we permitted it. The birds which 

 sat together in the top of the tree did not seem the least 

 alarmed at their companions being caught. We were in- 

 formed that during high wind they never coo, and indeed they 

 certainly were more quiet when the wind blew at all strongly. 

 I may say that I never but twice saw any on the ground. 

 One at the waterfall appeared to be sick or injured, the other 

 was a strong healthy bird. Ferns are abundant on this part 

 of the plateau the ground being covered in parts with a dense 

 carpet of Acrostichum. I sought carefully for the Trichomanes 

 parvulum but only found its prothalli, perhaps the adults had 

 dried up owing to the heat. In the evening I succeeded in 

 catching the humming bird hawk moth Macroglossa which I 

 had tried several times before to get. It frequented the 

 flowers of Morinda at dusk. This far ranging insect had not 

 previously been taken in the Island. The next two days 

 were occupied in exploring Phosphate Hill, and the coast 

 beyond Smith Point. The shore terrace here is very barren 

 the flora being very monotonous, and the greater part of the 

 way covered with pinnacles of coral rock very troublesome to 

 cross. 



On the 7th all started to the waterfall to camp there 

 for a few days. We obtained through the kindness of Mr. 

 Mcpherson a number of Chinese coolies and the use of a pack 

 pony. For shelter we took two Government tents which were 

 very fine affairs but utterly unsuited to the country, as it 

 required 13 men to carry them which with the very limited 

 number of coolies ever available, makes their use almost 

 impossible. The first plant of note obtained was a grass which 

 made a close soft turf often 6 inches or more deep, on the cliff 

 tops above the sea. It proved to be Lepturus filifarmis and 

 I was told that it was a good fodder grass for horses, who 

 would not however eat it until it had been well washed to get 

 rid of its salinity. A number of small brown and green grass- 

 hoppers frequented it and were seen nowhere else. They 

 ware coloured so like the leaves and stalks of the grass that 

 they were not easy to see and often when pursued dived down 

 among the stems where they could not be caught. 



Jour, Straits Branch 



