1870.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society . 173 



shells,* some lizards, f and five species of wild grasses. About 6 p. 

 M. we arrived at the Home at Progress creek where we left them. 

 The next day was a repetition of the previous one only carried on 

 on the opposite side of Port Mouat. On the 15th I had to return 

 to Eoss, but in the early morning, prior to our starting, the Anda- 

 manese brought in two tortoises, a turtle, and some fish shot and 

 speared since 6 p. m. the previous evening. 



Prom the 18th to the 20th, assisted by these people, I made an 

 examination of some of the sea fisheries, and the mode how they 

 take sea fish, a short description of which will perhaps give the 

 best idea of how they work. On January 1 8th, it being low spring 

 tide, we started from Port Mouat at 7 A. m. for MacPher son's straits 

 and arrived at the encampment of the Rutland chief about 11 A. m. 

 We found them close to the sea shore, where some fine trees 

 overhung the rocks, on which they were lazily reclining. We pass- 

 ed the body of the only child of the chief tied up in a tree, its 

 spirit being supposed to be powerful, the little one having died 

 about a fortnight previously. 



About 3 p. m. we embarked, taking with us seventeen of the 

 aborigines in our boat, their ages varying from about nineteen to 

 ten years. The females and younger children, with three hand 

 nets remained in the stern of the boat : the bachelors with three 

 bows and arrows and one spear in the forward part, and as usual 

 the latter were constantly chaffing the former. One youngster took 

 the rudder and we prepared to start for li Jolly boys" island, some 

 two miles away. Scarcely was the anchor raised, when a lad in a 

 canoe came with some fish, and likewise handed in a piece of dead 

 coral, amongst the branches of which numerous beautiful little fish 

 were to be seen alive, as well as some lovely little crabs. On sug- 

 gesting that they might have got in there by accident or been put 

 there for show, over the side of the boat dashed a young savage, 

 who dived down and rose again to the surface with another piece 

 of coral as large as his head, and in it were forty small but living 

 fish. 



* Cyclopliorus foliaceus Che m., and Spiraxis Haughtoni, Bens., being the 

 most common. 



f Tiaris subcristata, B 1 y t h, is the commonest tree-lizard ; besides, several 

 species of Geckotid/e occur. 



