14 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Jan. 



Hope Town is a small convict settlement in a shallow bay, north 

 of Chatham island. The inner edge of the Bay is occupied by a 

 mangrove swamp, and in the eastern corner of it, we met with 

 the first shell mound, just behind the mangrove swamp, and at 

 the bank of a small fresh water stream. This Kjokkenmodd- 

 ing, evidently of a somewhat round circumference, was about 

 60 feet in diameter, and some 12 feet in height, but nearly 

 half of it had been used in making a road which leads close 

 by. This was, in some respects, welcome, because it saved a 

 good deal of digging. 



The mound in itself does not present anything extraordinary, 

 it is a simple accumulation of shells intermixed with a great num- 

 ber of bones of the Andaman pig, Sus Andemanensis, fragments 

 of rude pottery, and numerous stones varying in shape and size, 

 — such as a Kjokkenmodding near Copenhagen or any other 

 place in Denmark can be observed. A few large trees growing 

 on it indicate that it could not have been much disturbed, at least 

 during the last two or three decenniums. 



1. We examined the mound all round and dug up a por- 

 tion of it, in order to see what kind of shells prevail, and which 

 of them principally served as food to the inhabitants. The most 

 common species appeared to be Trochus Niloticus, Pteroceras chi- 

 ragra and lamb is, Turbo (SenectusJ articulatus, If urea: adustus and an- 

 ffulifertcSj JVerita albicilla, polita, Georgina and exuvia Sfc. The JVeritce 

 especially were very numerous; and the last two are mostly 

 found on the branches and roots of the mangrove vegetation close 

 by. Among the first named Gastropods, the specimens of Trochus, 

 Pteroceras, Murex &c, &c, chiefly were of very large size, not 

 many were half grown. Pelecypoda (or Bivalves), as Spondylitis 

 aurantius, Area scaplia and fasciata, Tridacna gigas and squamosa, 

 Capsa deflorate, Pa phi a gJahrata, &c, &c, are not uncommon, but 

 still far less numerous than the Gastropods. Of Ostrea crista 

 galli, Lam., a species of quite an ancient type and very closely 

 allied to the Jurassic 0. Marshii, Sow., or flabelloides, Lam., I 

 have also obtained several valves, and this is one of the very 

 few species which now appears to be rare in the harbour, for 

 I havo observed scarcely any live specimen during my stay, while 



